Secret of the Blade
by ShadeslayerX
Summary: When Lily Potter comes across an artifact of immense power, hidden away by the Potters, old secrets come to light. Plans come undone and the day of reckoning is upon Wizarding Britain. Original Witchblade characters are never part of the action, only mentioned. M rating for adult themes, gore, physical and mental torture. All Criticism is welcomed and encouraged. Enjoy!
1. Prologue

_**Secret of the Blade - A Lily Potter story**_

 _ **by ShadeslayerX and Maniaclot86**_

 **N: 1. since I'm dreaming up this AU out of the maelstrom that is my head, I may not remember all authors that coined certain ideas, and I apologize in advance if i do not give due to all deserving. If any of you can recognize anything I haven't already said is inspired by someone else, let me know, and I will add the acknowledgements along with the ones for the next section.**

 **Here's the basic lowdown on Witchblades we plan on using for this xover. The Witchblade from the comic of the same name, IS NOT the one that will be in the story. It will be referred to as The Prime and will play no role whatsoever. There will be multiple Witchblades mentioned, each being assigned a name. The one in this story we call The Gray, and is based on the look of the character Masane Amaha from the Witchblade anime. I will of course not keep the excessively skimpy look. Lily's Witchblade form will have a black under layer under the armor. And the Witchblade is sentient and will manifest an avatar in the wielder's mind. Each Witchblade chooses how often or not it will abandon its wielders.**

 **This story will not be updated very often because we are both perfectionists and short on time, and will modify and re-modify sections extensively before uploading**

 **I say sections, not chapters, because we may upload anything between 1-3 chapters at a time... I'm kooky that way :3**

 **Enjoy,**

 **Shadeslayer**

 _ **Prepare for trouble,**_

 _ **Make it double**_

 **Please note that British English will be used. If you see any inconsistencies, chalk them to this. ^-^**

 **Maniaclot**

 _ **In conclusion, based on my rabid plot bunnies, here comes a HP/ Witchblade crossover.**_

 **Prologue**

 _June 30th, 1750_

This summer day marked the start of the Summer holiday. And it marked the end of his studies at this prestigious school. As all his colleagues clamored towards Hogsmeade for one last day of carefree fun, he decided to linger in the inner courtyard. He would miss the place he called home for the last 7 years.

"You haven't even left Hogwarts and you already miss it, don't you?" a familiar voice asked.

"Professor Dumbledore. My apologies didn't see you there. You are quite right, I feel like I am leaving part of me here."

"My young Augustus, there is no need to fret, you will always be welcome back. I wanted to have a word with you, before your departure tomorrow. I doubt you will have the time after you get back to London and the Ministry job you secured, of which I am most proud."

"Of course. May I ask what about?"

"This just came for you," Dumbledore said, pulling out a small envelope out of the folds of his dark blue robes. "It seems to be an important matter and I thought you might be want to read it as soon as possible." It bore the Gringotts seal and, written in golden ink, the words:

 _To be delivered on June 30th, 1750_.

Augustus took the envelope. It looked old and felt heavy in his hand. He opened it and pulled out a parchment. Two tiny keys, one golden, one of solid iron, fell when he unfolded the paper. He stared at it. The message was short and to the point.

 _My dear Augustus,_

 _If this reaches you, it means you have finished your studies. You are a man grown now and my sole heir._

 _The enclosed golden key will grant you access to Gringotts Vault 687. Your family's vault. Your fortune lies there, please don't squander it._

 _Here is where the second key comes in. In the vault, there is a granite box with an iron bolt and lock. It contains an artifact of immense power which, should it fall in the wrong hands, could spell the end of our world as we know it._

 _I would rather not speak of it in this letter, and I wish there was another way to instruct you on this matter, but, should this letter ever be delivered, it also means I have died before you could come of age. It falls upon you to continue my task._

 _Guard it with your life! DON'T let it fall in the hand of the Witch or all of the wizarding world will fall under the Blade! Another envelope, with the proper instructions, will be given to you by your Vault Keeper on your first visit._

 _Make me proud, son!_

 _Your Father,_

 _Gilbert Potter_


	2. Chapter 1 - Lily's escape

**Part 1: Setting the stage**

 **Chapter I**

 **Lily's breakout**

 _You hold the answer deep within your own mind [...] Nothing is ever really forgotten_

The day was dark and the air, heavy and still. The overcast sky and the constant rain seem to drown every sound, save for the static like patter of the droplets on every exposed surface. Charing Cross was packed, all huddled in their coats, as to stave off the cold, all clutching their umbrellas, as to keep as dry as possible.

Save for one hooded figure, diminutive in stature. The crimson cloak fluttered about as she walked _fleet-footed like a doe_. She darted inside what looked like an old abandoned and derelict dive.

'Damn…' she thought as she pulled the hood closer to her pale face, 'these Muggles go about their day, oblivious to the war that was taking place under their noses.'

For being the oldest pub in London, The Leaky Cauldron had seen better days. Once thriving, now, the only patrons were an ancient crone who survived through centuries _and who couldn't be bothered about petty squabbles of_ , roaches and rats.

She passed the tables and walked out the back door, coming face to face with the bare brick wall. After tapping a couple of bricks, the wall parted in the archway that was the entrance to Diagon Alley.

Her eyes fell on the partly ripped front page of the Daily Prophet, which showed an emerald green snake slithering out of a ghostly skull, on a dark stormy sky, with title **Death Eaters Attacks Continue, Wizarding World paralyzed with Fear**. The picture stood a stark contrast to the dark wet cobblestones and muddy puddles.

Diagon Alley itself looked drained, the colors bleached and lifeless. Most of the shops' windows were boarded up. No one on the streets, save a lonely scurrying rat, who looked faintly familiar. she did not want to linger in the rain for too long. Unlike her previous visits, this was strictly business. Should she take longer than needed and it could spell her death. Which was not especially unusual nowadays.

Her attention was diverted by the sound of two low voices, coming out of Knockturn Alley.

"Sonny, did ya hear what happened to the Whithorns? Almost nuttin' left of their house… nor them, for that matter. Dayum…" a scruffy old man said with a growl.

"Shit! Forgot, pops, you weren't there… I don't envy you." a younger man said. He looked like he had been in a fight, clothes disheveled, claw marks and dust on his face. "I always said I'd do anything to work with the Dark Lord himself, but… after last night raid… I wish I would have missed it. I've seen torture, but not like this. And that smell?"

"Don't tell me ya turnin' yella now? Dipped yer toe in the pond and already got cold feet?" the old man asked.

"No! I mean, you've told me stories about Fenrir, but I didn't know he could be so turned on by a drop of blood. Nor what he does to children…" the young one drifted off.

"Yeah, the man's a legend! Ye should pay attention when yer with him, there's a lot ye can learn from 'im."

"But.. what happened… that's just… just down right sick! You know I ain't fond of Mudbloods, but hell, I was in the same House with their eldest son, he was a proud Slytherin, his parents were proud of him for getting a job with the Ministry…"

"Ye said it yerself, them were Mudbloods, ye damn fool! And this is a damn war! Everything goes! Haven't ye learned anything from me"

"Torture, I get, even murder when necessary… but raping a 10 year old girl in front of her family and tearing her to pieces afterwards? How can you justify that? Fuck this, Pops, I'm out! I'm sure Dumbledore will be interested in the things I have to say!" the young one said as he started walking away.

"Don't ye dare!" said the old man as he started to change. The eyes glowed a sick yellow and fur started sprouting in patches… He leapt at his cub's throat and both crashed loudly in a trash bin.

She had heard enough. She quickened her step towards her destination, almost tripping on another damned rat, who, no doubt was seeking refuge from the dreadful weather.

In times of peace, the white of Gringotts' building was a beacon of prosperity, however, in present day, it was more a beacon of safety. She knew she was safe the moment she touched the gilded door handle, remembering what was always said about this place - the only place safer than Gringotts is Hogwarts.

She pulled down her hood. Her pale face was framed by a flurry of thick red hair, which stood only to compliment her emerald green eyes.

"So good to see you again, Ms. Evans! Or should I say Mrs. Potter? I do believe a congratulations is in order."

"Thank you. Did not know you to be that courteous, Xan. Age must be getting to you. However, it's nice seeing you remember me, considering I haven't been here in a long while. And didn't I tell you a thousand times to call me Lily?"

"Of course, of course. Though, did I not request the same courtesy, that you not call me by that short name? My name is Xanthos Goldpan and you are not my equal in age."

"You are always the same refreshing golden ray of patience" said Lily. "As much as I would love to stay and catch up with you, old friend, I am in quite a hurry. Could you please take me me to the Potter family vault. James did give me his permission."

"Do you have the key?" Xan asked.

"I do. Here you go."

"Right this way, then" the old goblin replied and led her to the creaky cart train that led deep into the underbelly of Gringotts, where the vaults were located.

There was a time when she would have asked to go on that ride again, but, alas, she was no longer the innocent 11 year old that first entered Gringotts without a clue on what she was supposed to be doing. Xan seemed unchanged tough, even after 10 years - a grumpy looking goblin, with a very amiable demeanor, for his old age.

Lily walked into the Potter family vault, leaving her goblin escort outside. Normally she would have taken some galleons and just walk out. However, considering the current status quo in the world, she needed to have a backup plan. She went straight to the back to the piles of jewels and filled a moleskin bag.

'Jewels should work just as fine in the Muggle world' she thought to herself. Sticking from under one of the piles was a marble hand. She ignored the sight and continued her endeavor. The Potters were an old family, they were bound to have some statues and other odd treasures in their vault. As she filled the bag with rubies and emeralds, diamonds and sapphires, she heard a weird sound. For a second, she thought she heard something being dragged across the granite floor of the vault.

'Impossible' she thought. Xan was supposed to wait outside, as was the goblin custom. Whipping out her wand with a curse on her lips, she surveyed the space around her. She did not see anyone. She then remembered something James said the only time they were here together, shortly after their engagement. He told her there used to be a guardian golem in the family vault, yet no one has seen it for generations. Back then, she dismissed it as just another flamboyant story of his.

The gritting sound of stone rubbing on stone was heard again. It was coming from the piles of jewels. She walked carefully, wand at the ready. Where the marble hand used to be not 2 minutes before, was now an ornate gauntlet with a teardrop-shaped gem mounted on the back of the hand.

'Well, I think I found part of the golem James mentioned.' Lily mused as she resheathed her wand and turned to the door of the vault to go on her merry way. With the door no more than 3 meters away, she thought of her darling baby boy and the prophecy that supposedly pegged him as some sort of Chosen One. "Dumbledore and his stupid prophecies," she muttered. 'One seer spouts utter nonsense about a possible future that involves He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and the slightest chance to defeat him, and the old coot thinks it is certainly, without a shadow of a doubt, referring to my family' she thought.

Her musings were cut short as something wrapped around her throat, making her unable to utter a sound. The door to the vault also shutting, made her think of a trap. Something then pierced her right hand and wrist, while metallic wire started to envelop her. Her final thoughts before succumbing to unconsciousness were about her son and loving husband.

Lily found herself floating in a grey limbo, unbound, but immobile. Before her was a figure clad in dark grey armor, with their face shrouded in shadow. It circled her slowly, raising a gauntleted hand to its hidden face, as if deep in thought.

"You are bound in servitude, little one," the figure said with a woman's voice, as casual as if talking about the weather. Lily was startled, taken aback by the overly casual tone of voice. She was even more curious about what the figure said.

'Bound? Bound to what' she asked herself. The woman circled her once more, her movements very much a predator's, however less than threatening. It showed a cautious curiosity. A slight tilt in the head and the probing eyeless stare made Lily think she was reading her mind.

"Bound in servitude to a man who stole your allegiance from one more deserving." The casual tone made Lily forget the sarcastic retort she was cooking up.

"My allegiance to Professor Albus Dumbledore is of my own free will. So is my husband's James. We both joined Order of the Phoenix at Professor Dumbledore's request. Someone needs to fight He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," Lily replied. The woman laughed. a laughter that unnerved the young mother. The unseen eyes of the one in front of her seemed to pierce into her soul. As if reading her mind, the strange woman stopped laughing and the unseen face turned towards Lily.

"Alas, it is not Albus Dumbledore I speak of, but your husband," the woman said with scorn in her voice. "He is the heir of the one who betrayed and killed my mistress and imprisoned me in this treasure vault. And he is the one who, by bounding you to himself, imprisoned you as well, little one." Lily was speechless.

"You must be crazy, lady! James did not compel me into anything I didn't want to do." she retorted with barely contained rage. She struggled to get free, but it was all in vain. She continued to float in limbo, unable to move even an inch. The woman closed in and extended her hand towards Lily's forehead.

"Allow me to prove you wrong. With your permission, I shall bring forth the memory of the day you lost your freedom - December 31st 1974. You might not even remember what really happened, but I can sense the shroud that envelops the truth of it. And I can lift it. I believe it will be… quite illuminating to you."

New Year 's Eve 1974. She was trying to remember, but the day was as unremarkable as any other. She had spent it with Petunia and her mom at a skating rink before coming home to a quiet dinner. Not an intimate New Years party with her parents, Severus and his mother Eileen. It never bothered her until now.

But the seed was planted. The mention of 'bound will' and 'shrouded truth' sparked her curiosity. The Gryffindor in her gathered up the courage and said

"Do it." The woman touched her forehead, and Lily found herself transported into the past.

\- Flashback -

 _December 31st, 1974_

Lily spent the last day of 1974 out and about the city with her sister, Petunia, and their mother. She always loved the hustle and bustle of her city. It was a good change of pace, compared to her cozy and somewhat predictable life at Hogwarts as it was during the rest of the year.

"No, Petunia. I'm afraid I can't tell you where the entrance to the Magical London is. And you couldn't go on your own, regardless," Lily said with a hint of exasperation in her voice.

"But… Why?" Petunia asked, rolling her eyes.

"You know I love you, Tuney, but we've had this discussion a thousand times already! To Muggles like you and mom, it will not look like anything else other than a run down place. That is, unless I go with you."

"Then let's go. I want you to take me there now!"

"Girls, must you always fight about this right now?" their mother asked. "Petunia, it is almost 7 PM, we don't have time right now. Lily's guests should arrive soon."

"Yeah, take her side, why don't you?" Petunia said, angry at her mother.

"Tuney, Tuney, sometimes, I wish you'd talk less and listen to me before snapping at me. I am not taking any sides," their mother said and turned to her other daughter. "Lily, I want you to promise me that, before you go back, you'll take her window shopping through Dia-Diagonally, or what ever that place is called."

"But, Mo-om! It could be dangerous for her to come in contact with that place. Especially with Voldemort and his goons running around terrorizing everybody," Lily said, somewhat reluctantly. She didn't want to worry her mother too much, choosing to keep her in the dark about what Voldemort really meant to the wizarding world.

"No buts about it, young lady. From what you told me, whatshisname is no more than a hooligan. I am sure there are magic policemen that can keep you safe for a short visit," their mother said, oblivious to her daughter's awkwardness regarding the subject.

"Hmph… Fine!" said Lily, trying her best to keep her tone from betraying her cautiousness. "Oh, and mom?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"It's Diagon Alley, not 'Dia-Diagonally'. Will you get it right this life time?" added Lily, sticking her tongue out.

"Fine, fine. Whatever you say. It's time we got home. It would be rude to have guests arrive before us," mom said, hailing a cab.

The ride was a fairly quick one, the cab dropping them off in front of their house in less than half an hour. Their home was everything that you would expect, a quaint suburb house, fully decorated for the winter festivities. Her father had the new Beatles disc playing on the record player. Her guests arrived 10 minutes later.

"So glad you could make it," said Lily, giving a warm hug to the always-awkward Severus Snape and a big smile to his mother Eileen.

"Please, do come in" Mrs. Evans chimed in,

"Thank you for having us over. Severus rarely speaks of other people, but he can't stop talking about young Ms Lily Evans," replied Mrs. Snape. "My son makes you something of a prodigy, my dear," she said, turning to Lily. The girl blushed. Sensing that, Severus intervened before his mother could continue.

"Mother, please. Can't you see you are embarrassing her? Not to mention me?"

An uneasy quiet settled in. Sensing the tension, Tuney chirped in:

"Anybody want anything to drink?"

"Yes, a cup of tea would do nicely." Mrs Evans said. "Step into the living room, please. Tuney, put the kettle on, dear."

"Severus, can I have a word with you?" Lily asked on a low voice, while everybody else was making their way to the other room. She took his hand and dragged him to her room. "Are you alright? I told you, they won't bite. So relax a little."

"I know, Lily. I know. But look," the boy said, as he pulled out the crumpled front page of the Daily Prophet. "He started attacking Muggle born wizards and their families…"

"So that is why you're worried. I think this is a safer place than you'd know. I doubt I am even a blip on his radar. Will you just relax already?"

"Fine, don't say I didn't warn you," replied Severus. "But what is that at the window?"

"Is that… an owl? Who would send one at this hour and on this day of all times?" Lily opened the window and a small tawny owl flew in, carrying an even smaller box. It landed on Lily's desk, with a little hoot. It looked pleased with itself.

"Hello, little guy. Where do you come from?" Severus asked as he reached for the package. The owl screeched and tried to bite his fingers.

"I think it is meant for me…" Lily said. The owl hooted and nodded. She untied the string from its leg and read the note written on simple parchment paper. It had only three words: 'To Lily Evans'. No address, no sender, nothing else. Lily was a bit apprehensive. She opened the box and found a bauble with what looked like a replica of her own house enveloped in a swirling mist. "What the hell is this?"

"Don't touch it!" Severus seemed to voice her own concern.

When he saw Lily reaching for the bauble, he quickly grabbed her shoulder. Both felt like they were pulled by a hook from behind their navels - a damn portkey. They both looked around and found themselves in the same place they were when Lily picked up the bauble. The only difference - the lights were off. She tried turning them on, flipping the switch several times, with no luck.

"What the hell happened?" Lily asked, but before Severus could respond, they heard a faintly familiar voice spoke through the darkness.

"Well, well, well. Slimeball, nice of you to join us. However, you really shouldn't be here. You will be dealt with later."

Tendrils shot out of the darkness, enveloped Severus and dragged him out of the room. Lily tried to chase after him, but when she stepped into the hallway, no one was there. The entire house was as dark and as silent as her own room. A scream pierced the darkness. She ran towards the source of the sound, her wand at the ready.

'Screw the Statute of Secrecy', she thought to herself.

Her father laid folded on himself at the bottom of the stairs, his head at an awkward angle. The wall behind him was drenched in blood, eerily shining a red glimmer through the gloom. Lily walked toward him, only to see a huge gash from navel to his throat, his guts slipping through the cut. His eyes were still open, emotionless. She fell to her knees, knowing no spell could bring her father back from this. But she couldn't grieve for long.

"Nooooo! Please, don't! Tuney, RUN!" she heard her mother's pleading cry from the living room. Lily tried to race to save her mother, bumping into the dresser that was in the hallway.

"Moooooom! Nooooo!" Petunia screamed. Lily reached the living room, only to see her mother torn to pieces. No one else was there. She heard the same faintly familiar voice coming from somewhere inside the room.

"Might be a bit too late for her, little flower. I did warn her not to scream." The disembodied voice seemed nonchalant. Lily stepped up with no regard for her own life, wand raised, with Severus' special cutting curse on her lips.

" _Expelliarmus_." Her wand flew out of her hand and ended up levitating a few feet from her mother's head. " _Immobulus_." Her hands snapped to her sides. She couldn't move an inch. " _Silencio_." She couldn't utter a word. Only then did the invisible assailant removed his cloak.

"Hello, my sweet Lilyflower." Her jaw dropped. James Potter was just standing there, with a sickly sweet smile on his lips. "I did warn you, we would have words before the winter break was over. But where are my manners. Please do take a seat." She felt herself levitated towards an armchair. "Want anything to drink? Eat? No? Fair enough, I would be sick to my stomach if I would see my family. Ah, but you still have your lovely sister. Tuney, was it?" Lily's eyes fell on her sister, her body bound by thick ropes.

"Now, let's get to the business at hand," James said with his nonchalant smile still on his lips, pulling out a parchment. "I want you! And you shall be mine! And this agreement will seal it. Don't look at me like that. That rage is unbecoming of a lady, my sweet. Continue and your sister will feel the full brunt of that rage. So, what do you say, my sweet?" With a flick of his wand, Lily's voice was hers again.

"You maniac! This? This is your 'marriage proposal'? By attacking my family?" She looked disgusted. "You must have taken too many bludgers to the head, Potter." James didn't wait for the rest of Lily's reply, before pointing his wand to Petunia.

" _Crucio_!" His smile disappeared. Petunia was writhing on the floor, screaming her lungs out in excruciating pain.

"TUNEY, NO!" James lifted his wand and the screams subsided.

"I doubt she'll last long."

"You're insane!" Lily spat in his face.

"Then sign! And all will be OK. I can bring them back. I can make all this go away," James said, his sick smile back on his face.

"NO!" James pointed his wand back to Petunia.

" _Crucio_!" Petunia's screams pierced her entire being.

"Tuney… Nooooo!" James lifted his wand and replied, as though tired of this argument.

"Look Lilyflower. I don't want to force an Unbreakable Vow out of you, nor to use the Imperius curse on you. But I will if you don't do it on your own accept. All this carnage will disappear, you will not remember a thing. All you need to do is to bind yourself to me. Just sign!"

"Fine… Give me the damn parchment!"

" _Mobilicorpus_." James freed her and handed the parchment alongside a dark quill, but no ink. "I find it fitting you to sign with your own blood." Lily held the parchment in front of her. Reading it, her face contorting into utter disgust.

"Hell No!" she said tearing up the parchment. "This is no 'marriage contract', this is outright slavery."

"In that case, say goodbye to your sister! _Avada_ …"

"WAIT! Who would have thought Gryffindor's poster boy would stoop so low as to resort to the Unforgivables in order to get someone to marry him… I'll do it…" she said with a resigned sigh. "Repair the parchment, I'll sign."

"No, no, no, my sweet. I'm afraid that ship has sailed. The Imperius is an imperfect curse, I have no trust in it, knowing your strength of will. I would rather have some sort of assurance that you will not break this. The Unbreakable Vow it is."

"No…" Lily didn't even have the power to fight this insanity.

"Think of your sister."

"Do it…"

Several minutes later, she found herself free to move, but bound to a man she didn't love.

"One more thing. I have a small confession to make," said James, with his nonchalant smile on his face once again. "You are in a pocket dimension, housed within the bauble you received just seconds ago. This was all an illusion of what would happen if you were to break your vow. It's not only you that will expire, but your entire family."

"You bastard!" Lily lunged at him.

" _Obliviate_! I think this should do it. You are still bound to me, even if you don't know why," he said. "Time for you to get back to the New Year Festivities. Have fun, my sweet! See you at school!" James raised his wand and her visage shattered.

Lily found herself back in her room, the tiny bauble broken on the floor. She felt someone's hand on her shoulder. Terrified, she turned, raising her wand ready to attack whoever was touching her.

"Are… are you OK?" Severus asked. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. Sorry about the bauble, didn't mean to break it."

"Don't worry. It's OK." She didn't even know why she was so jumpy. "Too bad about the bauble, it looked pretty enough." Petunia barged into the room.

"What are you two lovebirds doing here, all alone?"

"Nothing!" both replied at the same time. Lily felt somewhat sick at that implication.

"Mom and dad want you both down for dinner. Or else."

"Fine. Be there in a second."

The dinner went without a hitch, neither Lily nor Severus remembering anything about what happened just seconds previously.

\- End Flashback -

Lily was feeling a little nauseous, but she was unsure why. Was it because of James basically coerced her into entering into a marriage contract? Or was it due to the sudden return to reality? She did have a pretty strong stomach for gruesome stuff, but flying was never her strong suit, so she figured it would be the latter.

In the grey empty limbo, Lily found herself able to move again. The woman was now kneeling in front of her, her gauntleted hand extended. Lily took the proffered hand and rose to her feet.

"How did you do that? How can I know this is the truth?" Lily asked getting more alarmed by the minute.

"I could sense it in the fabric of your being. However potent it might have proved to be so far, it still an amateur's work. And you know it to be true. You can feel it, don't you?" the woman said calmly.

"Yes… but why couldn't I remember it like that? Of course… damn memory curses. Still, if that's what happened, how come Severus never brought that particular New Year up? Why did he not fight for our friendship?"

"Alas, I couldn't see the threads of his past. From what you witnessed, his memory could have been erased as well."

"Why would you show this to me?" Lily wanted to know.

"I showed you the truth about your past because you have been chosen."

"Chosen? What for? Not another non-sensical prophecy, because I am already fed up with Dumbledore's…" The woman cut her rant short.

"Chosen as my bondmate. Your will is your own. What say you?"

"Bondmate? Who the hell are you?" Lily pushed the woman's hand away and tried to scoot back.

"I have no name of my own, young one," the shadow-faced woman replied. "I am a Witchblade, and you are to be my new wielder."

"Witchblade? I thought there was only one! And it was lost after Joan of Arc" Lily replied.

The woman's face came into view for the first time. Lily looked with surprise upon her own face, her eyes - a glowing yellow, her sclera - a piercing black. She then realised what the limbo is - not a physical place, but her mindscape.

"What do I gain from bonding with you?" Lily asked her armoured double. The woman smiled and took her hand once again, lifting her to her feet.

"With me at your side, you'll surpass a giant's strength, a striking snake's speed. You'll be immune to any outside influence. Your wounds will heal in the blink of an eye. Should you call on my full form, you will be virtually invincible." Lily stared into the eyes of her double, a manifestation of the Witchblade most likely, and after a few seconds declared:

"I'm going to rip out James' throat and feed it to him!" The double's face broke into a wide grin.

"You and I will get along famously, little one."

As she rose from the floor of the Potter vault, Lily noticed a bracelet with the tear-shaped gem on her right wrist. The jewel flashed red once and then the bracelet turned transparent.

The door to the vault opened and Xan entered with an even older goblin.

"Mrs. Potter, my name is Styx. I am Chief of Security for Gringotts London. What happened here? The vault sealed itself for a couple of minutes and we couldn't enter." Lily gave the goblin a bow.

"Chief of Security Styx, my apologies. I appear to have tripped one of the wards when I was taking some gems. I am sorry to have alarmed you."

'Where did that come from? Why do I know goblin etiquette?' Lily asked herself.

"Because I am reading his mind and passing the appropriate information to you" said the voice of the Witchblade inside Lily's head. The goblin looked at her for a few seconds, then asked:

"Would you like to have the gems converted to any sort of currency?"

"There will be no need. Thank you for your assistance, that will be all for now."

As the older goblin walked out, Lily turned to a desk at the front of the vault, feeling there was something of importance there. She then opened a drawer, pulled out a roll of parchment that was under a notice-me-not charm and pocketed it. 'An amateur through and through…'

"Time for James Potter's day of reckoning," the voice of the Witchblade said, coldly.

"You got that right" Lily muttered, as she pulled her hood so her face disappeared in the shadowy folds of her cloak.

 _ **Authors' note: This is something that has been fermenting around in the plot bunny lair that is my mind ever since I've read "Maybe I'm amazed" by Alethea27. Her Mr Evans made a valid point by saying that a self absorbed bully can do some pretty despicable things to always get what they want. While her James is an immature bully and bigot, he's not hateable. To bring the point of 'who knows what he can think to do to get his girl', I'm going to work from the most dangerous words in the human languages, what if, and hit the James-and-Lily-true-love malarkey with a 50cal explosive round. And i mean: what kind of stupid damsel in distress out of Sandra Brown or Danielle Steel chooses the bully of her BFF as her partner, knowing at least partly that James was targeting Severus SPECIFICALLY? The fact that he thought he had the right to decide who the Gryffs befriended and hang out with, does not mean he actually HAS the right to do so or enforce it. The guy got away with conspiracy to commit murder because Dumbles FORCED the injured party to shut up. In my head, that makes a man escalate his unlawful endeavours...**_


	3. Chapter 2 - Idiot spanking

**Chapter 2: Idiot spanking**

 _ **Here comes the second chapter of "Secret of the blade". The next installment(an intermission-like construct plus chapter 3) is due within the next couple of weeks.**_

 _ **To those that reviewed we have to say 'Thank you for taking the time to give feedback, good or bad'**_

 _ **And before one of us forgets again, one last thing needs to be said….. Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Witchblade belong to their respective owners. We make no money with this and own only our computers and the licenses of the miscelaneous software installed on our respective PCs**_

 _There's just five words to say as you go down [...] You're gonna burn in hell_

Day turned to a darker shade of grey. Rain continued to drop steadily. The late afternoon quiet streets of London slowly turned to the regular evening rush. The 9-5 crowd slowly trickled down towards their favorite pub, for a large pint of beer, or their homes, for a warm meal and a spot of tea.

Lily Potter had to get home as soon as possible. Not because of the weather, but because she felt a heart-to-heart with "her sweet" was long overdue. Getting out of Godric's Hollow was easy, getting back to her family in time for dinner would prove to be more of a challenge.

She never liked to fly by broomstick, and lately, it seemed it was one of the most dangerous ways of transportation, being too noticeable. The Floo Network was also compromised, if reports in the Daily Prophet were to be believed. Normally, she would Apparate on her doorstep in the blink of an eye, however, the entire village of Godric's Hollow was fully warded against Apparition - Dumbledore's handywork. The same wards prevented the use of Portkeys.

Luckily, her home village was a fairly small settlement. The few residential streets converged in a quiet little square, which had all the usual necessities of a quaint community, with only a church, a post office, a pub, and a few retail shops.

Lily decided to Apparate outside Godric's Hollow, as it would be the fastest option. She quickly casted a Notice-Me-Not Charm and vanished out of site, only to rematerialise in Godric's Woods, a wooded patch of land just off one of the roads that led into the village. She made her way down Church Lane, keeping a watchful eye on the shadows in the streets and on the windows of neighboring cottages. She cut across the square and down the street near the post office, when she heard the Witchblade whisper to her.

"Young one, I have one request of you."

"What now? Can't this wait?" Lily was anxious. She was in the open and she was so close to home.

"I am afraid it cannot," the Witchblade said.

"Fine… but make it fast."

"I request you do not disclose our association yet. Especially to your consort. His family kept me from this world for far too long, nigh to half a millenia. Making our association known could pose a disadvantage at this moment in time."

"Makes sense. Fair enough. I promise I will not willingly disclose our partnership to James. However, I do want your assistance when dealing with my _loving_ husband," Lily said with a smirk.

"That seems like a fair enough trade. It is in agreement."

Lily slowly turned the front door knob and walked in. She was about to remove the Notice-Me-Not Charm when she heard two male voices. James had a guest.

"Albus, this sounds terribly risky."

"Don't tell me you lost your Gryffindor spunk, my boy," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eyes. The man knew he held all the cards. Or at least he thought he did.

"Hey, I didn't say I didn't like it. Actually, I'm all for it. I'm sick and tired of hiding like a rat."

"Glad you see it my way."

"Not to mention it will give me a chance to finally put an end to this madness. You said we are going to fight. Care to share any specifics? Where is he and when do we go after him?" James was getting overly excited.

"We will do no such thing. We'll wait for him to come to us. I have it on good authority he is preparing to move against you and your family. We don't know when. But we can control where. And we can be ready for him," Dumbledore explained.

"An ambush. And I thought I would get to see some action soon. I am getting bored."

"You may well get your chance soon enough. However, you must remember you have a son who you must protect. Harry must be protected at all costs, regardless the sacrifices we must all make."

"Don't worry, Albus. I will. But what about the rest? Won't Voldemort know something's off if the Order of the Phoenix is gathered in Godric's Hollow? Powerful as he and his acolytes are, I doubt he'll be stupid enough to challenge all of us at once."

"Oh, but we won't be anywhere near Godric's Hollow."

"What? Why? And how am I supposed to hold him off?"

"Why? For the reason you just mentioned. Voldemort could sense something is off and just wait until one of us slips up. And you will not be alone. Remember the wards I have set around the village? He will not be able to show up on your front door without walking the length of the village and without tripping several alarming wards. Should you hear them sound, conjure the Phoenix in the sky to call on us and we will be here in a flash."

"That makes sense. And I have my secret weapon - the Cloak of Invisibility. You couldn't catch me and my friends in school while we were wearing it, I doubt he would be able to find me. I should be able to get in some good shots before the cavalry arrives."

"Ah, this was the other thing I wanted to talk to you about. I will need to borrow the Cloak for a couple of days. It could save the life of our spy within the Death Eaters' ranks. As soon as he is safely out of their clutches, I will have it returned to you."

"I don't like this, Dumbledore. I've had it all my life, I kinda feel naked without it at arm's length."

"Relax, my boy, you should have it back in a day or two."

"You better be right. I don't feel safe at all."

"Have faith in me. Have faith in the Order. And, most importantly, have faith in your Marauders, who I would recommend you call close."

"Remus is still missing in action. Sirius… he's a wild cannon, he will not lay in wait, for the fight to come to him. I would be doing the same thing, if I didn't have Harry. Peter would be the only one who I could rely on if worst comes to worst."

"It is still better than nothing. There is strength in the friendship that binds you."

"One more thing, Albus. Do you still have the parchment with our address? Make sure everyone in the Order reads it, otherwise, they won't be able to find this place. And the Secret Keeper might prove to be unavailable at a moment's notice."

"Of course. Don't you worry, James. And I would recommend you not worry Lily. She is a mother and will do the right thing when the time comes. Ah, a mother's love…"

Lily decided she had heard enough.

'Do not act on what you heard just yet, little one' the Witchblade whispered in her mind as Lily removed the Charm and slowly opened the front door, only to close it with a loud slam.

"Honey, I'm home!" Lily said with a big smile on her face as she entered the living room. "Oh, I am so sorry, I didn't know you would be visiting today, Professor, I would have cut my errands short," she continued as she went in for a hug.

'Keep up the pretence, youngling,' the Witchblade chimed in, sensing the pent up rage within its new master. 'As much as you despise this old man, your attitude towards him must not tip your hand. An enemy unaware of his status as an enemy will present more openings.'

"Albus and I were talking about precautionary measures, should Voldemort decide to make his move against us any time soon. Our dear Professor seems to have every base covered."

"Yes? Could you tell me about it?" Lily asked, with an honestly curious look on her face.

"All you need to know at the moment is that the Order of the Phoenix will be on permanent call to assist you and James, when the time comes," replied Dumbledore, who decided to play his cards close to his chest.

"That's a load off," Lily said, feigning relief. "Should we have Peter send them all our address? He is the Secret Keeper afterall and I don't think some of the newer members know where we are. Should Voldemort have bring his own army, we need to have every able hand ready to fight."

"I have that covered, my dear girl. All I need to have everything in place is your husband's cloak."

"Do you think it is wise, Professor? I mean… it is pretty much our last line of defense against any intruders."

"For the thousandth time, please call me Albus. You are no longer my student, but my friend and my ally."

'Changing the subject? So that is the way you want to play this,' Lily thought to herself, gritting her teeth.'

'Careful. Halt your thoughts, before you are discovered,' intervened the Witchblade. 'I sense your anger towards the old man swelling, and for good reason. He bears the same posture and demeanor of the one who betrayed me long ago. The creature your people call Flight-from-Death may be a threat to you, but the old master is even more so. I feel he views you as a liability if left alive. His next step would be to dispose of you as soon as possible.'

"Is something the matter, my dear?" James asked, looking a little worried. Lily snapped back to reality.

"Yes? No, sorry, I am just a tad tired. Albus, you were saying?"

"I was saying a life might be at stake. Thus I need to borrow the cloak."

"May I ask whose life?"

"That of the spy who risked all to get us the knowledge of Voldemort's actions."

"Of course. Riddle me this, Albus. Why on earth would you decide leaving three lives without their greatest defensive measure is worth saving one single life? What makes YOUR SPY'S life more important than ours? Regardless who the spy is, they should be pretty well versed in the art of deception, otherwise you wouldn't have sent them in. And, by YOUR OWN words, Harry must be kept safe AT ALL COSTS."

Lily was adamant. She could no longer play it cool, feeling as if she could lunge at her old teacher's throat. Still she was surprised at her restraint, not acting on her impulses. And it looked like Dumbledore saw that too.

"I am sorry, my dear. It was not my intention to upset you. I was hoping…"

"Albus, please, stop. James might be an accomplished duelist, but I don't have the same experience. The cloak stays with us. Your spy has survived so long, I am sure he knows how to stay out of trouble for a couple more days." Lily's tone indicated it was the end of that discussion.

"James?" Dumbledore asked, seeking help.

"Hey, don't look at me, she can be scary when she gets riled up like that," James said, backing down.

"Sigh You are right, Lily. You are most right. Well, I should be off. I need to get back to Hogwarts. And I need to let the rest of the Order know."

"Let me walk you out," James offered, standing up.

"Thank you, my boy. I bid a good night to you and your son, Lily," Dumbledore said, coming in for a hug. For the second time that evening, he could feel something was off with his former student.

"A good night to you too, Albus," Lily said.

She then turned to go up the stairs to check on Harry. She entered the bedroom and saw him looking at her with a big smile. She leaned in close to pick him up.

"He-llo, sweetie. How have you been?" She then proceeded to feed him and to change him into his onesie. "Time to get ready for beddy bye" she said as she laid her son to sleep. She then made her way back downstairs, to find James waiting for her in the living room. He seemed tired.

"Albus is not pleased at all, you know?" he said.

"Why? Because I wouldn't let him have the cloak? He's a big boy, he'll just have to get over it." Lily saw this coming.

"The village is protected by Dumbledore's wards. This house is protected by a damn powerful Fidelius Charm. I saw you cast it myself. Do you really think it would make any difference, if we were to lend him the cloak for a couple of days?"

"I am sorry, James. I know you really believe Dumbledore has our best interest at heart, but, with all the madness going around, with so many people we know attacked, I think I am entitled to be a little paranoid."

"Do you really think Peter would give us up that easily?"

"Well, I can safely say he wouldn't have been my first pick for our Secret Keeper. Remember the reason why we went with Dumbledore's suggestion and chose Peter in the first place. Both Remus Lupin and Sirius Black are more accomplished duelists, but with one's condition and the other's wild and reckless streak, Dumbledore felt Peter Pettigrew, the oddball of your little posse, would be the best option. The man couldn't even disarm a dummy…"

"I will have you know I trust Peter just as much as I trust Sirius or Remus," James said on a definitive tone.

"I wonder why I couldn't choose anyone myself." Lily decided to poke this sore subject a little further. "Oh, I know, because, who ever I would choose myself, they would have to be vetted by Dumbledore. And he would vet only those he would have groomed himself."

"I thought we already talked about this. We chose Peter exactly because of the fact he would be the most unlikely choice. Nobody in their right mind would think he is our Keeper," James wanted to calm her down. "Look, he may not be a very good fighter, but he can lay low. And you know what they say: out of sight, out of mind."

"Fine. Fine. Too late to change anything now," Lily said with a shrug. She then made her way towards the kitchen. "What's for dinner?" James seemed grateful for the sudden change of subject.

"Go wash up and get ready, I'll set the table."

Half an hour later, the Potters were sitting down, enjoying James' novice attempt at bangers and mash. Little did they know it would be one of their last ot meals together. Shortly after that, James poured himself a glass of firewhisky, while Lily grabbed a bottle of butterbeer, both settling down in the couch in the living room. The radio was playing in the background.

'I am sorry to interrupt your merriment, young one,' Lily heard the Witchblade whisper with impatience, 'but time is short. You must confront your husband now!'

'It's about damn time.' Lily replied. She expected the Witchblade to prod her into action sooner.

"Everything alright with you?" James asked before she could make the first move.

"Yes. Why wouldn't it be?"

"You seem lost in thought. And something seems different ever since you got back from the bank. Did anything happen there? Hope there were no problems with the goblins. For some reason, they tend to be overprotective of the Potter vault."

"No. They were courteous as ever. Even ran into my old childhood friend, Xan. He helped me get to your vault."

"Still, what happened?" James asked as Lily sat down on the couch near him.

'Tell him a jewel tried to bite you, little one,' the Witchblade suggested. Lily did as told. She then continued:

"That must have tripped some ward, because the vault doors closed."

'Tell him how scared you were…' Lily repeated the Witchblade's whispered advices.

"Why didn't you tell me about the booby traps in that vault? Nearly had a heart attack when I saw the vault doors close on me."

"It is one of the regular defense mechanisms of my family's vault," James said as he put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. "I am sorry, darling, I should have told you about that."

"You probably should have. I was so scared," Lily said, making one of those faces that would melt any man's heart. James leaned in for a kiss. She got off the couch before he could do that and set her bottle on the coffee table. She then made her way towards the corridor and picked up the bag full of the gems she retrieved from Gringotts. James let out a quiet sigh.

"Honey, I wanted to ask you something," Lily said when she entered the living room. "While I was locked in the vault, I found something rather interesting in one of the desks." She pulled out the parchments the Witchblade guided her to. "You wouldn't know anything about a… dimensional bauble, would you?" A little smile formed on her face when she saw him gulp. She tried to keep her face as quizzical as possible.

"N-no. Where did you find that?" James stammered, almost spilling his drink. Lily could see he was cornered. She decided to have some fun with her prey.

"Told you, in one of the desks in the vault."

"It sounds like something that Remus would use back in school. You know, for his more… difficult times of the month."

"Probably true. It is dated October 1974, with the mention _To be ready by New Year's Eve_. You wouldn't remember helping Remus creating one, would you?" Lily had to bait him into admitting the truth.

"It's… possible. I honestly don't remember. We might have tried it once or twice, but we always fell back on the Shrieking Shack. I would need to ask Remus, it might be that they're not meant to be used for extended periods of times."

"However, I think I've seen the drawing of the house and the plans on the seond parchment, somewhere before." James got up from the couch and started pacing through the living room. "It reminds me of my family's house. But I am sure that's not it. We lived in a regular British home."

"Probably that's why it looks so familiar," James said. "Remus might have chosen a regular home, exactly because of the fact he never had one himself."

"Probably right," Lily replied. "How-ev-er," she continued with a small grin, stressing every syllable, "I found something else as well. A very official looking document. Too bad it's been shredded. I was hoping you might want to _help_ me piece this puzzle together."

"As interesting as it sounds, I think we can leave it for later," James said, heading towards the front door. "I need to take a walk."

"Oh, but where are you going, my love? Don't you want to _play_?" Lily said, following him into the corridor in time to see his hand on the knob. " _Colloportus._ " James turned to see his wife glaring at him, wand out.

"What in blazes is going on with you, woman?" James was furious.

"Finally, some backbone," Lily replied still glaring at her husband. She then to continue on what James deemed a suspiciously cheery tone. "Since you don't look like you want to play, I had to start the puzzle myself." She returned in the living room and spread the shredded parchment on the coffee table. "And I have the top row completed. Hmmm… it's a _Marriage Contract_. I wonder whose…"

" _Accio!_ " James' wand extended towards the bits of parchment in Lily's hands. He caught them in a single swipe, his seeker instincts showing through. " _Incencio!_ " Tiny parchment fireflies turned to ash.

"Look who came to play. Now, that makes me wonder what didn't you want me to see so badly?" She picked up the butterbeer bottle from the table and took a sip. A short while later, her husband spoke.

"You dare toy with me? You DARE challenge me!?" His voice was filled with barely contained rage, his wand now pointing directly at his wife. "It seems I need to put you in your place! To remind you YOU ARE MINE! Yes, that contract was supposed to be ours, but you deemed it… _unworthy_ of your stature." James spat those last words with utter disgust.

"Then why even pursue me?" Lily was interested in his answer.

"Because of that strong will of yours. It is a double edged sword. It's the one thing that I loved about you since I saw you in the Gryffindor Common Room."

"Thank you, honey!" Lily said in the most of sarcastic of voices.

"But it is also the single greatest obstacle to my happiness," James continued, ignoring the interruption. His rage subsided and he returned to his old, calm, demeanor. "I am sure you have no idea why or how we ended up together. Do you remember when we officially announced our relationship?"

"Sometime at the beginning of summer 1975, after the OWLs" Lily replied, looking bored. Still, she was wary in the sudden change in the tone of his voice. "Why?"

"Up until then, you'd spurned my every advances for years. I am a Potter, and in my world, you NEVER say no to a Potter."

"Spoiled brat…"

"For years, I tried to get into your good graces. My natural talents didn't help as much as I had hoped, since you never liked Quidditch and never came to a single game. By the fourth year I decided I had enough. I knew I had to break your will, at least, towards me. By hook or by crook, I had to make you mine. Niceties couldn't cut it. I had to improvise…" James stopped, sighing profoundly. Weirdly enough, talking about this was extremely liberating. He picked up his glass and took another swig of firewhisky.

"Care to continue? I don't have all night," Lily was losing patience.

"I knew where Remus kept his contingency plans, in case he wasn't… near a place for him to transform safely. I borrowed the Dimensional Bauble schematics. I knew it wasn't the most stable of the options, but it provided enough time."

"But why my house?"

"I know I could have chosen any place," James said, running his hand through his ruffled hair, "but where would you have lowered your guard enough for this to work? At school? Any of the teachers would have noticed something is off. Except for probably Binns…" he trailed off.

"What then?"

"Do you remember anything from the New Year's Eve 1974?"

"The party. Spent that New Year's with my family and with Severus and his mom," Lily replied, matter-of-factly. "It was one of the last times I spent time together with Severus. You wouldn't have anything to do with that as well, would you?" James seemed to ignore her last remarks.

"You probably don't recall why. I had employed Peter's owl, Speckles, to deliver the bauble to you. I had hoped you'd be alone when you opened it… but that was not the case. Both you and Snivellus got transported into the illusion I created for you."

"How come Severus never mentioned anything about that?"

"He was… disposed of pretty fast. I had to have you all to myself, for this to work."

"Fair enough. What happened next?"

"I attempted to… force… you to sign the contract you found in the vault. You promptly tore it up as soon as you saw it."

"Doubt that deterred you from pursuing this absurd endeavor."

"The bauble had the illusions weaved into its own fabric. All I did was put them to work. Remember I told you your strong will is a double edged sword?"

"What the hell did you do?"

"As strong as your will is, you still have one weakness - your family. I… used them against you."

"How?"

"I think you know how. Do you even have to ask?"

"I want to hear you say it!" Lily was getting more and more impatient.

"The more you resisted, the more they got hurt. Your father opened his heart to me," James said, an evil smile starting to show at the corner of his lips. "Your mother fell to pieces and even lost her head, by the time I had my way with her."

"You sick sonuvabitch!" Her right hand was twitching on the wand.

"Your sister proved to be your breaking point. A little Cruciatus Curse had your sister screaming for dear life. That brought you to the edge. The threat of using the Killing Curse on little Tuney and you were mine. Just had to seal the deal." James looked like he was remembering a very fond memory.

"You really are maniac," Lily said, gobstruck at the ease and delight with which her husband recounted this tale. "I am afraid to even ask how you thought you could 'seal the deal', as you say, after pulling _this_ off."

"You tell me. What is better than a Binding Contract? Other than one of the strongest forms of magic? An Imperius curse can be easily beaten by a will lesser than yours. This all boiled down to me extracting an Unbreakable Vow from you."

"You irredeemable bastard…" Lily started massaging her left temple in frustration. "You are willing to use all three Unforgivables… all to stroke your own ego? How come the Ministry didn't pick you up right then and there?"

"You forget one thing. The bauble. It was a separate dimension. My world, my rules. And I had, well, added insurance. I made sure neither you nor Snivellus ever remembered a thing. The Memory Charm kept you quiet, so neither the ministry nor your parents would ever know or do anything to hold me accountable."

"So, let me get this straight." Lily paused a couple of seconds to collect her thoughts. "You used trickery, psychological torture and memory altering charms JUST to have me bound to you?! I have to give it to you, that is one of the most creative, most brilliant and most convoluted ways for the great James Potter to get his perfect match." The sarcasm in her voice was punctuated with slow claps. "Now, tell me what would stand in my way if I were to just walk out and go to the Ministry? I am sure Dumbledore would have a heart attack when they bring you in to stand trial, in front of the Wizengamot."

"What makes you think he didn't help in any way? Who do you think gave me the idea in the first place?" James seemed to enjoy shocking his beloved wife.

"Somehow that does not surprise me." Lily composed herself almost instantly. "I kinda expected him to aid his poster boy. I will need to have a nice long chat with him next time we meet for tea."

"Ah, my sweet, I am afraid I can not let you do that. Too much is at stake. Our lives, our freedom, the entire wizarding world, depends on our little plan. Now, why don't you be a good little girl and… forget?" James smiled as he saw his wife's grip on her wand tighten. "Tell me. What qualities does a Quidditch player bring to the table in a duel? Chasers would fight only in a good squad, with coordinated attacks. They would hate being caught off guard. Beaters, they have their strength and could withstand some harsh punishment. Seekers… on the other hand," James said, slightly adjusting his glasses, "they have lightning reflexes and speed to match." He extended his wand in a blink of an eye and yelled " _OBLIVIATE!_ "

" _PROTEGO!_ " Lily's defensive spell, while cast at the exact same time, could not hold the force of the memory charm back. She was thrown back onto the couch.

"Poor little flower… Didn't anyone tell you?" James moved closer and sat in the armchair near the couch. He ran his hand through Lily's hair. "The Memory Charm is not something you can easily protect yourself against?" He considered letting her sleep it off. " _Accio_ ," he summoned a blanket and tucked her in. As much as he loved playing the confession game, James needed to keep the pretense of a loving husband for a while longer. He decided this was enough excitement for one night and placed his wand in the holster. thinking that it was past time to get some rest.

Just as he was about to exit the living room, James heard the faintest of rustles. Just as fast as before, he turned around drawing the wand out. This time, he was not fast enough.

" _EXPELLIARMUS_!" His wand flew in an arc in front of him and landed in the extended left hand of a furious Lily, her eyes burning green and magic flowing forth from her. "Honey? Where do you think you are going? We haven't finished our heart to heart."

"W-w-what? … But… how is that possible?" James was flabbergasted. He looked like he couldn't comprehend what just happened.

"Sit… Down!" Lily ordered as James stepped towards her, her wand still pointing at his face.

"Sweetie…" he said, as he inched closer and closer to his wife, "put the wand down so we can finish our talk."

"In… your… dreams!" Lily punctuated her every word with jabs of her wand, every jab creating jets of red sparks that landed on her husband's clothes. He didn't seem to notice, or, even more worrying, didn't care.

"Lily?" His tone was appeasing. If he was scared or worried, he hid it well.

"Yes, James?" Her anger didn't let down.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He was getting closer. One more step and she would be within arm's reach.

"Why wouldn't I?" Lily seemed to take pleasure in singeing her husband, so much so that she lost focus for a split second. Long enough for James to launch himself at her, knocking the two wands out of her hands. Rather than grabbing either wands, he wrenched her left arm behind her.

"Because, my sweet little flower, you might end up getting hurt." She struggled against his grip, but sharp pain shot through her arm with her every move. "I have permitted you too many liberties, too much freedom. The sacrifices I make for love."

'Little one, keep calm.' The Witchblade decided to intervene. 'I am here for you. All you need do is call on me.'

"You've been extremely quiet," Lily muttered under her breath. "Where were you?"

"Said anything, darling?" James asked amused. "Don't tell me you already lost your mind? I was hoping you would last longer."

"Don't worry, honey. I will last longer than you on our wedding night," Lily replied, sarcasm oozing out in droves.

"Oh," James' interest peaked. "Want to have a crack at that? We can do it either way," he continued on a horny voice, his left hand groping at his wife's bosom.

"Come give me a kiss and I'll think about it." Lily's lucious lips puckered up for a kiss. Her husband couldn't miss the opportunity and loosened his grip on her arm, in order to turn her around. As he leaned in for the kiss, Lily drew her head back and whipped it forward almost instantly. The headbutt struck James right in the nose, causing him to release her and stumble backwards, falling on the couch.

"Always a horndog…" Lily sighed. She continued on the calmest of tones: "I think it is time to end this lovely talk, don't you think? I would love to meet a friend I made while in your family's vault." She rolled up her right sleeve and revealed the thin silver bracelet, adorned with a red tear-shaped gem.

"No… This can't be!" James was dumbstruck.

"The Great Potter, at a loss for words. This must be a first."

"It found you… Do… do you even know what you have done?" He was clearly shocked. His eyes started searching for his wand.

"You bound me, tortured me, wiped my memory and raped me, and you still have the balls to ask me that?" She tried to keep a neutral tone. "You must be joking. Now, why don't you enlighten me? What have I done?"

'Let me manifest, little one,' the Witchblade bade her host. Lily flexed her fingers and silently agreed. The tear-shaped gem flashed and the bracelet expanded into a gauntlet with bladed fingertips. James' jaw dropped.

"What's the matter, honey? Cat got your tongue? I thought you were going to explain what I have done that is so shocking."

"Do you know what… THAT… is?" James asked, pointing at her right wrist.

"It calls itself a witchblade. Why? What do you know about it?"

"Oh, Merlin! It spoke to you…" Her husband looked deeply tormented. "That is how it begins. Lily please, you don't know what that thing can do to you."

"By all means, enlighten me then. But sit right where you are. I don't feel like scrubbing blood out of the carpet."

'Should he move, I can bring forth a sword to halt his momentum.' _**Anywhere up to 3 meters.'**_

"I think it would be best if you were to sit down yourself. It is a long story. This might take a while." James sighed deeply, still eyeing the bladed gauntlet just feet away from him.

"Just start already," Lily said rolling her eyes and sitting down in the armchair closest to the door.

"That thing was Joan of Arc's secret weapon. All of her achievements can be chalked up to her using it. She was eventually captured by her enemies because the damn thing suddenly decided to stop working for her." He got up.

"Where the hell do you think you are going?"

"Relax, I just need a drink," he told his wife. "See, just a glass of firewhisky."

"Fine. Will you get on with it?" After taking a swig, James continued.

"Muggles shouldn't have magical weapons, least of all sentient ones. My ancestor took it upon himself to insure Joan's conviction and to retrieve the… let's call it artifact. He kept it hidden in the dungeon of his house for close to half a century, before relocating it to our family's vault in Gringotts." He swirled the contents of the glass, before taking another swig of firewhisky. "After that, the story is pretty boring. The knowledge of the artifact was passed on from generation to generation. The Heir of the Potter family, upon becoming of age, is charged with protecting the wizarding world from it."

"I understand why something like this would need to be kept out of the hands of Muggles. But what would warrant it to be locked up from the entire world? Why not turn it over to the Ministry?" Lily was intrigued.

"Remember, the Ministry was founded in the 1700's. Joan of Arc died in 1431. What would you have wanted my ancestor to do? Take it to Hogwarts, where it could be found by many young maidens? That would have been exactly what IT would have wanted." James stared at his empty glass.

"But what if its power? Joan did not exhibit any magic on the battle field. Other than the armor and blade, it doesn't look like it has any power." Lily decided to leave out her enhanced physical prowess, promised by the Witchblade. "And there's tons of magically enhanced Muggle armors and weapons. Not to mention, back then, some Muggle armies employed magic users. What would make this," she raised her right hand, "so damn dangerous?"

"There isn't much recorded about its true abilities. Most of it has been scrubbed from history. Safe to say it's been deemed dangerous enough to be locked up. My grandfather almost had a heart attack when he heard rumors of something similar being wielded by one of Gellert Grindelwald's acolytes in Germany, during World War II. He thought the goblins might have given it away."

Lily stood up and started walking about the living room, rubbing her eyes, trying to relieve the building pressure. She needed to clear something up.

'Witchblade. Answer me. Is what James said about your bond with your previous partner true? Did you leave her to the mercy of non-magicals? Did you abandon her to be tortured, raped, and die a slow, agonizing death? Did you know how she died, burned at the stake by religious fanatics? Should I be worried about our partnership?"

'Little one, lay your fears to rest. Allow me to tell you my version of Joan of Arc's story. She was the King's elder sister and, while she never wanted the throne for herself, her brother saw her successes on the battlefield as a threat to his own rule. So he hatched a plan. During her last battle, her allies left her wide open and Joan was eventually captured. Potter's ancestor, alongside his cronies, set up a suppression ward before confronting her. I could not manifest, I could not come to her aid. I never knew how she met her end, for my consciousness was blocked by the suppression ward. She was a worthy user. I would have given her the full extent of my power to preserve her.' Lily sighed deeply.

'What about 40 years ago? Were you the one to cause all of that destruction? Did you aid Grindelwald?' she asked.

'I have no memory of the man you speak. You must know, I am not the only one of my kind. It is possible that another witchblade might have revealed itself. If that is the case, it could only have been The Prime. She was born for battle and will always be in the middle of strife and sorrow.' Lily took a second to process all the Witchblade told her. She turned to James. He didn't seem to notice anything, otherwise he would have attacked her while she was distracted.

"Say I believe you, James. How can it be removed?"

"As you might have noticed, you can't remove it from your wrist. Once you've bonded, it's impossible for an outside force to separate it from you." James paused for a moment. "That is… unless you either lose your arm, or your life."

"I think I'll keep all three," Lily replied without missing a beat.

"Are you mad, woman?"

"No madder than you, if you think I will remove it while I'm still bound to you." Lily was adamant. "Didn't you Notice last attempt at wiping my memory failed? Miserably, I might add. No," she said, raising her right hand, still encased in the gauntlet, "this is the perfect insurance. Once I find a way to rid myself of that Unbreakable Vow, I will deal with the witchblade. Plus, you seem to be deathly afraid of it, so this is definitely an added bonus."

"Listen to me," James barked at her, grabbing the gauntlet with his right hand. "This thing is dangerous!"

Before he could do anything, golden chains started materializing between the two, wrapping around both the gauntlet and James' right hand.

"The hell?!" He tried to pull his arm back, but he couldn't move an inch.

'Little one, worry not,' Lily heard the Witchblade say. 'I could dispatch of him right now and you would be free of him.'

"Do no such thing! He might deserve a sound thrashing, he might even deserve to die for what he did to me." Lily spoke the words, rather than thinking them to herself. "But, if we do this now, we would be no better than him." James' eyes showed nothing but terror.

'In that case, it may please you to know I have found another way of breaking the bonds that shackle you to him without his demise.'

"Do it!"

The gauntlet started vibrating violently. James felt his arm was about to break. The tear-shaped gem flashed a blinding light and James was thrown against the wall of the living room. He landed awkwardly on the floor. When he came to, his head was pounding, his right arm was completely numb, his vision blurry. He blinked a couple of times, trying to shake off the cobwebs, but as his eyes cleared up, he could see the blood trickling from his brow. He wiped the blood with his left hand and tried getting himself up, but his right arm gave way as he leaned on it, breaking in three.

"I was considering leaving you there and just run with Harry," he heard Lily's voice say. He looked around and saw her sitting on the couch, rifling through the Witch Weekely magazine. "Buuut, as much as I would love to dump your sorry ass, I doubt I could take Voldemort on alone. I might have the Witchblade, but since I still don't know much about it, I must admit… I still need your help." He noticed the gauntlet was no longer there. However, the gem on the bracelet still flickered fiercely, much like barely contained wildfire. It suddenly stopped, as if the Witchblade noticed it was being watched.

"Lily…" James said with a breaking voice. Lily got up and walked towards him.

"Oh, shut up. That does not mean I have forgiven you, nor have I forgotten what you've done. Now, let me fix you up. I'd hate to permanently ruin the carpet." She pointed her wand at his face and calmly casted a couple basic healing spells. " _Episkey_." The cut on his brow stopped bleeding. " _Tergeo_." The dried blood disappeared, "Now, let's see that arm… I see she did quite a number on you. _Ferula_." His whole arm was bound and put in splints. Finally, the pain subsided. Somewhat.

"T-thank you."

"Now, drink this." She handed him a glass of thick white liquid. "Don't worry, it's safe," she said pointing at a bottle of Skele-fix on the table.

"What happened?" James asked, still groggy.

"She did it. The Witchblade did it. I no longer feel like anything is binding us… magically, at least.

"But… How?"

"The golden chains that wrapped around our hands? Those were the chains cast during the Unbreakable Vow. She could not break them, but she ripped them from your body. Your arm didn't snap on impact with the wall, it was because of the chains."

"She?" James asked confused.

"Huh?"

"You called it She, twice now."

"She speaks to me with a woman's voice. So why not?"

"Lily… Please… Be careful with that thing."

"Oh, I will. Don't you worry. Now… for the sleeping arrangements. After tonight, I doubt we can share the same bed, let alone the same room." If no one knew what had just happened, they would have said she was talking about nothing else except the weather.

"So… what do you propose?" James asked. "If you want, I could move into the guest room or even on the couch…"

"No, you keep the bedroom. I'll be sleeping with Harry. And I don't want to be disturbed. I will think more about this tomorrow morning. Now, fix this mess. I am going to bed. Good night."

Lily walked out of the living room and up the stairs. James did not expect her to act this way in the slightest.

" _Reparo_." James pondered the long climb up the stairs to their… no… now it is his bedroom and just gave up. He took too steps and crashed on the couch. This had been one helluva night.


	4. Chapter 3 - The fuck you contingency

**Chapter 3: The Potters' Last** _ **Will and Testament**_

 _AKA The 'fuck you' contingency_

 **A.N: This was initially supposed to be posted with Chapter 4 in one go, but our muse refuses to cooperate… may be short, but it has an easter egg, who can spot them, earns themselves a virtual cookie. As i keep saying, all criticism is encouraged and appreciated. :3**

Disclaimer: previous applies still

The next 2 days passed a little too soon for James' liking. Not only he tossed and turned all night every night, but every movement shot hot flaring pain through his still mending arm. He'll need to have this looked at soon. Why he didn't do this immediately, he would never know. Luckily, one of their neighbours had some Healer's training. He dressed as fast as his arm allowed and made his way towards the door. Just as he was about to exit, he heard steps coming down.

"I'm going out to see Mrs. Farrow," James told his wife, who was coming down to get Harry's food. "You did a good job patching me up last night, but I need to have this arm fixed," he said as he was rubbing his splinted right arm, "if I'm to protect my son."

"Fine. But don't be late. We need to make some amendments to our will. Just a couple of precautionary measures, to set our affairs in accordance to our talk." Lily kept her no-nonsense tone she had since that night.

"Okay, okay." James winced as another white hot flare shot through his arm. He didn't seem to hear what Lily said. Donning his Cloak, he opened the door and stepped outside. It was overcast, as always, the wind only slightly blowing, barely rustling the leaves of the rowan tree (Rowan Tree = symbol of protection) in the front of their house.

James walked all the way to the other end of Godric's Hollow and entered an unassuming little garden. Mrs. Farrow, the village healer, was an old hunchbacked crone. However, she was known locally for her extensive knowledge gathered in the decades of service in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, on duty in the Janus Thickey Ward. James knew she would be able to patch him up in no time.

"Mr. Potter… the epitome of health and fitness… you, have not crossed my doorstep in years." the crone said even before James could announce his presence.

"I don't mean to impose, Mrs Farrow," he said stowing the cloak in his coat, "but I am in need of help. And fast, since these are dangerous times. I was trying a new spell and it seems to have backfired." He raised his splinted arm. The crone hobbled close to him and grasped his arm. She removed the splints and, squinting her eyes, she examined every bit of the arm.

"This is no regular wound," Mrs. Farrow said, "or at least, not the result of a common spell, be it offensive or defensive." She pulled his arm closer and, to James' surprise sniffed it. "I don't know what you did or how, but…" She tried to sniff his left arm.

"But… what?" James asked, visibly shocked.

"But I am afraid you won't be able to cast any spells with that arm ever again." James expression was one of sheer horror. "You might even be able to catch a Snitch. A wand would be only a stick in that hand."

"W-why?"

"In all my years in St. Mungo's, I have not seen anything like it. For lack of better terms, it would seem the magic… died in that arm." The crone released his arms and hobbled towards a potions cabinet. "All I can do is mend the bones and the muscles, so you have full functionality." A couple of moments passed in an awkward silence.

"It's better than nothing…" James said, somewhat resigned, "and I still have my left arm." He opened and closed his left hand a couple of times. "Do it."

"Then drink this," Mrs. Farrow said as she handed him a tiny blue bottle. "Shouldn't take long." James drank the contents of the bottle.

An hour later, James arrived back home, the right arm fully healed. The only difference was that the wand was now in his left pocket. He'd decided not to let Lily know about what the crone had said. At least of this, he could keep control of.

"Dropped off Harry at Bathilda," Lily said as she was fixing her auburn hair. "She said she'd keep an eye on him for a couple of hours. I see your arm is better," she continued as she was putting on her cloak.

"Where are you going again?"

"Told you before you went out. WE are going to get our will… ammended. Sent an owl to Xan, who agreed to help."

"But… Lily, do we really have to?" James whimpered, his tone still weary after that night's events. He was pulling uncomfortably at the collar of his Muggle shirt. His visible discomfort had Lily rolling her eyes. James rubbed his mended arm, still sore. He reached for his wife's hand, an appeasing gesture. Or so he thought. Lily apparently abhorred the feel of his touch now.

"We have talked about this, James. It needs to be done, the sooner, the better, whether you believe me or not," she replied. "Not that you have a choice," smacking James' hand away from her. "I need to make sure that Harry can NOT be manipulated through your family's estate or by your political allies, especially the Headmaster. This is not up for negotiation." James saw there was no talking to her. He let out a huff.

"Fine. Tell me again what IT wants me to do," he said, eyeing the bracelet on his wife's right wrist. Lily closed her eyes for a mere second and took a deep breath.

"The Witchblade does not want either of us to do ANYTHING," she replied. "Or, to be specific, nothing that would jeopardize its chances of being out and about."

"So you say." Lily simply ignored the interruption.

"I, on the other hand, have been thinking that we should name our Secret Keeper in our wills."

"Why would we do that?" James asked.

"It should keep any imbeciles from jumping to conclusions. Should we die, they need to know who to look for."

"And what kind of imbeciles are you thinking of?" James retorted.

"Bartemius Crouch." Lily said flatly. James huffed and rolled his eyes.

"You got his number alright."

'Is the man called Crouch that prone to jumping to conclusions, little one?' the voice of the blade asked out of the blue. Lily threw on her cloak and put on a notice-me-not charm on it.

"Stop stalling, James. you know I am right.."

Lily walked out of the house, James threw his own cloak back on and followed. As soon as walked outside the boundaries of Dumbledore's wards, they Disapparated. Lily took advantage of the silence to bring the Witchblade up to speed.

'Crouch made it legal for law enforcement to use illegal magic to bring in offenders, no questions asked.' Lily explained. 'He encourages swift executions and skips steps in the legal process for expediency's sake, basing his judgements on little to no viable evidence. I never want him interested in me or you.'

'If he does anything, we will kill him little one.' The Witchblade sounded very confident.

They Apparated in the Leaky Cauldron's back alley, just at the entrance of Diagon Alley. It was just as windy and wet as the day before. A confident Lily strode towards Gringotts Bank doors, pulling the hood of her cloak closer around her face, not to remain anonymous, but to stave off the rain. James followed closely behind his wife as she walked in. As soon as they were in, he ducked behind a column in an alcove right next to the entrance, removed his cloak. He then joined Lily, who removed her cloak as well.

"Mrs. Potter, I did not expect to see you back so soon," Xanthos said as he approached them.

"Xanthos, I was hoping you would be able to assist me and my husband."

"Mr. Potter. My name is Xanthos," the goblin introduced himself with a slight bow of his head. "How may I be of service?" he asked, looking at James. Lily however took the lead.

"I think it would be best to talk privately," she said.

"Certainly. We can go into my office." Xan turned, walked down a dimly lit corridor and entered a small room, sparsely decorated, save for a desk and three fairly comfortable chairs. James spotted a copy of the Daily Prophet on the desk, dated October 29th. He eyed the title of the main article. It read **Minister Bagnold orders Auror protection detail to guard Hogwarts, Dumbledore declines aid**. James smiled to himself. He snapped out of his reverie when he heard Lily speak up.

"We need to make some alterations to our wills," she said, giving the goblin a parchment. He skimmed it for a minute.

"So, Mr and Mrs Potter," Xanthos huffed as he read through the list Lily had handed him, "You want to enter our Lifestone monitoring program." James nodded. Xanthos watched as the human tried to stop himself from reaching to take his mate's hand. To anyone else, it would have been awkward to watch, but to the old goblin, it made no diference. Human interactions, outside banking, were none of his concern.

"Xanthos, if the contracts permit, we would like the monitoring to be just a small part of a contingency we want instated in case the Dark One, or any of his acolytes, end our lives." Lily started with no small degree of deference. The young woman's tone apparently struck a chord with the old goblin.

"Very well," Xanthos said, picking up a simple black feathered quill and a roll of parchment, ready to jot down notes. "And may I ask what the full extent of this contingency is?" Lily drew in a breath and started outlining her plan.

"After we enter the Lifestone monitoring program, should EITHER of the stones go dark at any point within the next 36 months, Gringotts is to send a copy of both our wills to the following people: Minerva McGonagall, Frank Longbottom, Augusta Longbottom, Amelia Bones and Alastor Moody."

"Why these people specifically, Mrs Potter?" Xanthos asked, not raising his eyes from the parchment.

"Professor McGonagall is James' mentor, Frank is James' partner in the Auror Corp, Augusta still carries a lot of weight with the whole Wizengamot and not a lot of its current members are crazy enough to anger her, Amelia and Alastor are people whose integrity is impossible to question." James nodded in agreement. "As mentioned before, this is a contingency - it's more about the numbers than the significance of the people. Still their past and current positions do not hurt, nor does the reputation these people carry." Lily replied. Xanthos nodded and took it all down.

"And after this action is taken?" James smiled in an eerie way.

"Shortly after dispatching the wills to the aforementioned recipients, the Potter vaults are to be placed under lockdown until told otherwise by either of us. Should you not recieve any word from either of us within 72 hours after one of the stones goes dark, Gringotts is to move everything, except for 50 thousand Galleons, to a new vault. Access to the new vault is to be granted by proof of belonging to The House of Potter by blood test and by providing a password we'll give you now."

"The password being..." James looked to Lily.

"Pick one." Lily thought for a moment.

" _Devotionem nullam, Nullum jus jurabo!_ " she said with a grin. Xanthos lifted his eyes from the parchment and raised an eyebrow.

"Any reason for those words in particular?" the goblin asked.

"Both me and James are weary of this war, so we decided to make sure the Potter wealth will not be squandered on the war effort by any side. Therefore, whomever should raise claim to the contents of our family's vault should show no allegiance to any side and should not be bound by any oath superceding his duty to the House of Potter." Lily's tone was flat. James sat in his chair, nodding in approval with his wife's instructions.

"Bold words. It will be done per your request." The goblin seemed impressed.

"That's not all, Xanthos." Lily drew a breath and continued "If… if both of us die, the wills are to be read within 12 hours of the lifestones signalling our demise. Even if you have to read it to just one person. Also, Chief Warlock Dumbledore is barred from the reading, and may not accept bequeathments on anyone's behalf." Xanthos nodded, writing it all down.

"Wouldn't he be able to invoke a pre-emption right, as the head of the Wizengamot," James interrupted, sitting a little straighter in his chair, curiosity showing on his face. Lily looked a little startled.

"Rest assured, neither the Ministry, nor the Wizengamot hold no power over Gringotts since either institution's inception," Xanthos explained. "The wizarding world entrusts us with their wealth and the goblins are to protect it as we have done for hundreds of years. However, we hold to our right to be governed by none other than our own kind. There is a Department within your Ministry that handles the liaison with The Nation, but, again, it does not have any regulatory power over the Goblin kind. Consider this bank an embassy. All that happens on our premises is our jurisdiction, unless we decide to defer it to your Ministry."

"I admit, I have never thought of it that way. Fair enough," James said as he sat back. The goblin turned back to Lily.

"And the money removed from the Potter vault? Do you want it invested?" James nodded.

"Yes, we have talked about it," Lily said. "There is a list of Muggle companies at the bottom of the list. Stick to them, unless their value drops below 50% in 3 months. Small ammounts at a time." The goblin nodded his assent.

"Who is to be notified of the secret vault?" he then asked.

"Tell no else one of its existance for the time being. Our son is to be informed, in person only, on his 17th birthday or if he is emancipated. The key to such a vault is to be put in vault 687, in a blood-locked granite chest that is to never be removed unless the password is given verbatim by him."

"Anything else?" Xanthos asked.

"That should about cover it," Lily said, looking at her husband. James returned to his role as a bobble head, nodding in approval and staring out the window. Xanthos sighed.

"The contingency is to be implemented immediately, should the Lifestones change state, I presume?" the goblin asked

"Yes," Lily nodded.

"This is quite a tall order, Mr and Mrs Potter," the goblin said. "It will take up to 6 hours to set up the Lifestones and it is quite draining on your core."

"That shouldn't be a problem," James said. "We've both been through worse."

"Oh, there is one more thing," Lily intervened. "A schooling provision should be added as well. In the event anything happens to both of us, our son's guardian is to be selected from this list," Lily said as she handed a small piece of paper. "They are the only ones to have access to Vault 687, from where they will be able to withdraw no more than 400 galleons every 2 months for Harry's expenses, except for school tuition, which is to be transfered automatically on August 25th of every year."

"Should the balance of the vault drop below 12 thousand Galleons, the money from the secret vault is to be transfered to refil the 50.000." James added. "No account statement is to be sent unless the password has been given beforehand." The old goblin nodded in agreement, as he tallied up the changes.

"The fee for all these special transactions is…" Xanthos started to say, but James raised a hand.

"Take the appropriate fees in advance and add 1000 galleons for the trouble of implementing so much in a short ammount of time." Xanthos stopped and looked at the human. His body language spoke of conviction beyond what the old goblin thought him capable of.

"Of course" he said. "In that case, we should get started on the Lifestones. This way, please," the goblin said as he walked out the room. As soon as James was alone with Xanthos, he stopped him.

"A word, if I may," James said. "Remove the amount Lily added to vault 687 on her parents' death. Put it into a new vault, under the name Evans. Add to it, an approximate ammount equaling interest since that time, minus taxes and vault rental fee."

"As you request, Mr. Potter."

Little over six hours, both of them Apparated in the outskirts of Godric's Hollow. Lily stopped by Bathilda's house to pick up Harry, while James checked the wards. Everything seemed in order. It was time for a bit of peace and quiet.

 _October 30th 1981_

The Friday before Halloween looked much like the calm before the storm. The sky was still overcast, but the rain has stopped just enough to allow a couple of stray rays of sunshine to peek through the clouds.

Even though she had left the house these past weeks, Lily never felt more cooped up, since she never actually got a chance to spend enough quality time with her son. She decided to risk having a bit of fun. But first, she had to add a precaution of her own.

'I have a request for you,' she said.

'I am yours to command. as you well know,' the Witchblade replied.

'You've seen everything that happened these past couple of days. Hell, you've felt everything I have felt, including the mounting stress,' Lily continued.

'A trifle, compared to that of my former partner. Such is the life of war,' the Witchblade said, sounding somewhat amused.

'You might accustomed to it, but I am not. I want to unwind and spend time with my son.' Lily stopped and sighed. A few moments later, she continued. 'Here is what I ask of you. Should you feel any immediate danger or threat to me and Harry, would you be able to react of your own accord and neutralize the threat to the best of your abilities?' She hated having to ask this, but she knew her limits.

'You must know that would mean I would be taking control of your body.'

'I expected as much. Can you do that?'

'With your permission only,' the Witchblade said solemnly.

'But you are to act of your own accord, only in the aforementioned situation. Once the immediat danger has passed, you are to relinquish control back to me. Are we in agreement?' Lily asked. The Witchblade was silent, as though it was considering the request. 'Are we in agreement?' Lily asked again.

'Yes, of course,' it finally replied.

'Then you have my permission.'

Lily then walked into her son's room. Harry was sitting on the floor, playing with a small centaur-like toy. It scampered across the floor, only to be caught by little fingers. Lily smiled and watched her son chase the little centaur all over the room. A couple of minutes later, the tiny toy found refuge under the dresser, next to Harry's crib. Before the boy could crawl after it, his mother picked him up. He teared up a little bit.

"Hey there, big boy. Don't worry, mama's gonna get that centaur back in no time." Harry's frown changed into a huge smile. He put his arms around his mother's neck and gave her a quick kiss and hug. "I know, you must be just as tired to be locked up as me. Now," she said, as she picked up his toy broom stick from the middle of the room, "why don't we play outside for a while?" Lily dressed Harry up for the cold weather and took him downstairs. She thought of letting James know she was stepping out with their son, but, when she was about to enter to the study, she saw him hunched over a couple pieces of parchment, quill in hand. He looked deep in thought, so she decided not to bother him. After all, she didn't need his help, she had a stronger partner close at hand.

The rowan tree provided just enough shade and coverage from the drizzling sunshower. The sun was barely strong enough to pierce the clouds, but it was enough for the young boy to enjoy his mock flying to the fullest. Lily was not much of a flyer herself, but she did take proud in Harry's prowess. She needed to thank Sirius for the present. She remembered that, the first time he played with the toy broomstick, he inadvertently smashed the hideous vase Petunia had sent the previous Christmas. Shortly after that, James said he'd be a great Quidditch player.

As Harry kicked the ground to gain altitude, almost reaching for the lowest branch, barely touching the leaves, she recalled another funny memory. Though their cat might not have thought of it as such, as she ended up stranded on the roof being chased and poked by little Harry.

'Anything the matter?' the Witchblade asked, noticing the slight change in her demeanor.

'I just remebered we have a cat… however, I haven't seen her in a couple of days. You wouldn't happen to have any way of tracking it for me, would you?'

'I may be an admirer of felines. Alas, I have no way of finding it. Unless it wants to be found. I do sense anyone else in the house, other than you and your family.'

'She's a proud mouser, you won't find no mouse or rat for half a mile. I am sure she would turn up eventually,' Lily concluded, still a little apprehensive. If the blade couldn't sense her, something must be wrong. She then turned her attention back to Harry and his antics. She didn't notice the front door opening, nor her husband walking out.

James had his eyes on the three envelopes in his hand, still considering not sending them. But, in his current state, did not have that luxury. He seemed oblivious to everything, until the flying toddler almost bumped into him, missing his head by less than an inch and causing him to stumble backwards a couple of steps. His wife trying to stifle a laugh and barely managing it.

He was about to scold Lily for being careless enough to bring Harry out into the open, but as soon as he got close to her, a slight nausea overcame him as he felt a piercing gaze fall upon him. It couldn't have been his wife, but her eyes were glued to their son. Nothing set off the wards, so there was no intruder anywhere nearby. Old Batty Bagshot might have been a bit repulsive, but this was definitely different. A red glimmer drew his attention to his Lily's right arm.

As James looked closer, he noticed the ruby, which normally looked like a regular jewel, sprouted a cat like pupil. He was about to reach for his wand and warn Lily, but he stopped in his tracks. The jewel blinked at him, sending shivers down his spine. He was suddenly reminded of its power. Yes, much of what that… thing… could do was still unknown, but, if he was to go on what it did to him alone, keeping his son safe for a couple of hours longer should be a cinch. And they did have the added benefits of the wards giving them enough time to get to cover, should they need it.

"Easy there, sport," he said, as he dodged out of his son's way, "you're still a little young for the Plumpton Pass (Quidditch maneuver). Let's stick to regular flying for now." Harry just giggled and wizzed by.

"Heading out?" Lily asked.

"Just to the post office," James replied, showing the envelopes in his hand. "Need to let Sirius, Remus and Peter know we might need them soon. That thing," he said nodding towards the bracelet, "might be strong, but we still don't know the full extent of its power. Better to be safe than sorry."

"Fair enough." Lily turned her attention back to Harry, as James threw his cloak on and walked out the garden gate.

The post office was a short walk from the village center. right next to the church. He entered the small front room and was surprised to find only three owls available - a dark brown barn owl, a red speckled tawny and a grey little one.

'You should do just fine,' he thought. 'You don't want to draw attention, do you?'

He pulled out the small pieces of parchment from within the envelopes and read them once more. He had to make sure his friends knew he needed them. All of them had the same message. It read:

 _Marauders,_

 _Prongs is down with a bad hoof, doubt he'll be able to catch any Snitches anytime soon. I think the company of Padfoot, Moony and Wormtail would do some good. As for the Snake, we don't have any idea where, but the woods are getting thicker and more and more claustrophobic. I'm sure Prongs would feel safer, having his former pack around._

 _What do you say? Will you do it? For times sake?_

 _Prongs eagerly awaits your reply._

 _J.P._

 **A.N: Next chapter we hope will beat 10k words, and will be THE HALLOWEEN, a.k.a the night voldie goes bye-bye :3… warning ahead for excess of exposition and probably a little foul language and physical torture….. in the end, what is a little dismemberment between friends? :-D**


	5. Chapter 4 - Unravelling plans

**Chapter 4:** **Unraveling** **plans**

 **Author's note: Our apologies for the late posting….. Tom (maniaclot) has a stressful job and is renovating the family home, and my health is not really helping. I for one was hoping to put out 10k words on this alone, but since all relevant plot points have happened, a little under 8k works just as well :3**

" _And there's nothing like a mouthful of Venetian tar to let you know just who you fucking are"_

 _October 31st 1981_

The sky was ominously overcast. Godric's Hollow looked lifeless, an odd site for a Halloween day. Normally, it would have been full of people, some getting ready for the festivities and ceremonies that Muggles enjoyed so much, others making final preparations for enchantments that could be attempted only on this day, where the veil between the living and the dead was at its thinnest.

Still, the little town shop had its shutters locked down and the church was closed. The entire wizarding world, not only the inhabitants of Godric's Hollow, looked as though it was petrified by the impending attack. Almost everyone was certain Voldemort would unleash some sort of calamity by night's end. That included both James and Lily Potter. While James was pouring over every defensive measure their little house had, Lily was tending to Harry.

It wasn't raining yet, but Lily could feel… something… wrong. She couldn't breathe properly. It was as if waves were pressing against her chest, as if the air itself was thick, making every breath a chore. It was unnerving; she couldn't put her finger on it - was this the calm before the storm? Or were they already in the eye of the hurricane? She decided to push through it. After all, Lily had a trick up her sleeve only her husband was aware of.

She brought Harry down into the kitchen, set him in the highchair and set about making breakfast for both of them. Her son kept a close eye on her, eagerly awaiting his morning meal.

'Can you hear that, young one?' the Witchblade asked. Lily almost dropped the bowl she had in her hands. She stopped for a couple of seconds.

'We really need to find a way to have you draw my attention when you want to say something. Can't have you pop in unexpectedly every time,' Lily said, as she composed herself.

'What would you have me do?'

'You could vibrate two short times before chiming in.'

'A silent and most effective solution. It will be as you wish,' the Witchblade agreed, as it believed it would not do to have her host lose her focus on its behalf, especially in these tense circumstances.

'Now, you were saying?' Lily asked.

'Do you not hear that?'

'What?'

'A silent hum is resonating throughout the house.' Lily pricked her ears up and listened.

'It is probably coming from the wards I have set myself,' she said.

'I do not doubt your abilities, but were you the only one with a hand in setting ALL of these wards up?' the Witchblade inquired, with an odd tone in its voice.

'I had some help, of course… Dumbledore. He set up the more demanding wards. Sirius and Remus also had a hand in some of them. Spicing our defense up, according to them. But why are you asking this?' Lily was worried about her partner's tone.

'Because there's something more,' it replied. Lily listened carefully. Something strange was lying just underneath the hum, much like nails on a chalkboard.

'How on earth am I able to hear it all?' The young mother was puzzled. 'Wards are meant to be a silent protection measure.'

'Since I absorbed the magical energy put into the binding with your spouse, I can feel magical imprints, little one. You hear the hum through your connection with me.'

'I never knew that so many wards on a small house could make such an annoying noise. I mean, It could be one of the wards, couldn't it?'

'That is not the sound of any regular protective wards, little one. It's something that does not belong, though I cannot tell what it is.'

The Witchblade's statement made Lily forgo the breakfast omelette. She laid down the fork, undid her apron and made her way to the stairs. She was about to go into the library to use the fireplace to use Floo network, but she remembered it was supposed to have been sealed off. Her steps led her to the nursery, as if she were in a trance.

'Yes, in here.' the voice of her tenant piped in.

"What the hell could it be?" Lily muttered, not realizing she was speaking out loud "It's coming from the nursery but the wardstone is not here."

Upon opening the door the hum became louder and louder, until it turned into an outright unbearable screech.

'What the hell is this?' Lily asked, trying to shut the sound out.

'Allow me, The piercing sound faded out gradually, until it could be mistaken for a boiling tea kettle. 'I have muffled the sound for you.'

'Thank you.' Lily shook her head, trying to regain some of her hearing. 'If I remember correctly, Remus laid some of the wards in this room. If we had access to the Floo network, I would try to call him.'

'Yes. Your memories show him as highly knowledgeable, and quite inventive, if your sojourn in the pocket dimension is to be taken into account. He might indeed know something about these… enchantments.'

'But… we are on lockdown. No Floo for us.'

'In that case. may I try something?' The red gem flashed before Lily could agree to the blade's request. 'Something has been building for a while in here.'

'You say you were able to hear such imprints for the last 4 days. Why can I only hear them now?'

'Something was already here, but not loud enough for us to pick up on,' the Witchblade said. 'You were already able to feel a manifestation of the protections on this dwelling. Your human magics are definitely strong enough. Nonetheless, this enchantment might have been laying dormant until recently and it has just been activated remotely.'

'Activated… remotely?' Something wasn't adding up for Lily.

'It shows signs of recent tampering and bears traces of human magics, albeit minute.'

The hum in the room seemed to be coming from everywhere at once. Lily spun on her heel trying to pick up a stronger impression. As she spun, the gem on the bracelet pulsed rhythmically. After surveying every wall, Lily still had no idea of the source of the magical noise. Closing her eyes, she willed the gauntlet to form. As the lines of wire from the bracelet enveloped her hand and climbed up her forearm, the annoying hum turned into an impression of unnaturalness. and it was coming from everywhere at once.

'Can you tell the purpose of what is here?' Lily asked with her eyes still closed.

'I may be able to tell what it does and who set it. Concentrate on forming the full armor and let me guide your body for a short time.'

Lily nodded. As the armor started to crawl up her wand arm and down her torso and offhand, Lily's robe sleeves tore, her shirt shredded, and her pants fell to the floor in tatters. Her hair grew down to her waist and tendrils entwined with some strands. When her eyes opened, they were still green, but with black sclera. She raised her right hand and a single edged sword blade grew out of the underside of the gauntlet. She touched it to the wall, and on contact, some red sparks flew.

"Naughty naughty, Monsieur Dumbledore," Lily heard herself speak, but not in her own voice alone. The Witchblade lent her its own voice. They raised their sword blade and made a cutting motion downwards. A runic array flashed briefly, before fading again.

'There are quite a lot of runes placed on that wall, little one. Let me check the others,' the Witchblade said in the mindscape. Lily watched from within with quite a bit of apprehension. Seeing your body move without you being in control was a hard thing to take.

'Now I understand what it's like to be under the Imperius curse.' The voice of the Blade came from all around her.

'Indeed, little one. I suspect you did not ask for your teacher to add these runes to the walls of your son's bedchamber.'

'Most certainly not. I thought Sirius and Remus did the spells in Harry's room,' Lily said. 'Are all the individual arrays linked?' The sword blade was drawn lightly across the carpet.

'There are arrays on every wall and the floor. I suspect the ceiling is simmilarly inscribed. Breaking an array breaks them all.' As the sword blade retracted, Lily's head tilted slightly.

"What are you planning Monsieur Dumbledore?" the voice came out with a strange reverberation.

Lily's hand rose and touched one of the walls, and drew the armored finger from one corner of the room to the opposite one, and then the blade suddenly extended, leaving a shallow groove in the wall. A transparent sheet of blood red magic came off the wall and shattered, the ethereal shards being drawn to the sword arm, and being absorbed into the red gem. At the same time, sheets of red formed on all the other walls, the ceiling and the floor. They too shattered without sound, and the shards were drawn to the gem. When all the shards were absorbed, the gem pulsed one more time and became inert. The armor started receding off Lily and she was left in the middle of the room without a stitch of clothing on.

'Your professor Dumbledore is one twisted individual, little one,' the Blade said. 'These runes were indeed meant to protect the child in the crib from anything and everything. I do mean EVERYTHING. Not even MY parents could pierce the shield for a few minutes once active.'

'That sounds pretty effective. What's the catch?'

'The energy powering the enchantment smells foul. In order for the one within the shielded zone to be safe, it demands the sacrifice of its relatives within the larger security ward. It grows stronger off of blood and death. And it would seem, the more blood is spilt, the more violent the death is, the better. It would siphon off all your magic before your lifeless bodies even touch the floor.'

Their dialog was rudely interrupted by James' voice.

"Lily, why in Merlin's name are you standing naked in the middle of the nursery?" Lily's head turned and James saw the black leak out of her eyes.

"How about you hand me a robe if you don't like it," she replied.

She turned her back to him and touching the cut she made with the aid of her tenant. The site of the cut was lacking something, as if the damage had irretrievably stripped something from it. As she was about to turn, she felt her husband throwing a robe to her. She extended her arms and James saw the robe slowly fly to cover his wife, which looked much like an invisible servant helped its master dress.

"Lily, when did you learn to cast wandlessly?" James' voice sounded surprised.

"Nunya," Lily replied, tying the braided belt around her waist.

"Come again, Lily? I didn't quite catch that."

"None of your god damn business," she replied pushing past him none too gently. His hand caught her wrist.

"Lily, please. Consider taking this… thing… off. It's changing you." Lily closed her eyes and counted to three.

"I am my own person again, my will is my own, and I can fully restrain myself from brutally murdering you where you stand," she replied. "You should respect the first two and be thankful of the third." As she not too gently freed her wrist, she asked over her shoulder "Want my omelette? I suddenly lost my appetite."

'I suspect the ritual circles in the nursery were powered up recently, little one. Be ready for anything,' Lily's tenant piped in, when they were alone moments later.

'If the wards were set up so Harry would be protected in case we die,' Lily replied, 'I don't think it's as bad as you make it sound. Maybe we shouldn't have taken it off.'

'A word of warning, little one. Always be wary of any magic that requires blood or life to sustain itself, for it may lead you down a darker path than you would like to tread,' the Blade said. 'I would suggest we check the rest of house's protections, in case something else was snuck in without your knowledge or consent. The existence of those arrays is worrying. And something with so specific a purpose precisely cannot exist without support.'

Lily walked back into the kitchen and picked up the fork to resume the omelette. Harry watched her with interest, and reached out for her. She picked him up and took him to the playpen in the living room. As she walked back into the kitchen, she found James doing the dishes, with the omelette on the table, accompanied by a glass of orange juice. She ignored the food offerings and instead walked out.

"Where are you going, Lily? Eat up, the food is getting cold," James managed to say with his mouth full.

"I'm not hungry," she replied. "Just need to step out for a bit, check the wards. I can't shake the feeling that something bad is coming our way."

"Will you relax, Lily? Albus has the village warded against Apparition and will bring reinforcements should the need arise."

"Can the entire order make it the whole 600 yards from the edge of the village instantly, should they need to? Can Dumbledore summon 25 fighters in less than a minute should your alarm be raised?" James shook his head in denial to both questions.

"We can only hope they are ready to come when we need them," he said.

"Hope all you want. I still need to check those wards. You might trust the almighty Albus Dumbledore with your life, but I don't."

"Why is that? We haven't had any issues so far," James said. "The house is as safe as it can be and Albus has not proven me wrong so far. This wouldn't be something your… trinket… shared with you, by any chance, would it?" he asked, squinting suspiciously.

"What if it is? This _trinket_ , as you call it, has been more truthful than you were in the last five years." Lily grinned, seeing James cringe at that jab. "And I have my own reasons to distrust our _dear_ Professor Dumbledore," she continued, saying the last words with faintly disguised disgust. "That is why I am checking the wards. And I will recheck them again and again, until I go to sleep tonight, if only to soothe my nerves." She opened the door and walked out, not waiting for any reply from her husband.

As she headed towards the wardstone for the property, buried under the rowan tree in their yard, Lily started to ponder the information gained during the last few days. Things weren't adding up… or worse, the conclusion things added up to was extremely concerning.

'I smell a rat,' she thought. 'It's too convenient, you know.'

'I do not feel the presence of any vermin, little one. And to what convenient events are you referring to?'

'Sigh… I do not mean a literal rat. It's a saying, used when you're suspicious of someone or something.' At times, Lily forgot her companion was not all that versed in the more day to day language. 'And it is too convenient, the ease with which me and James were persuaded to move into the most isolated house the Order had at its disposal, in a secluded village, heavily warded against Apparition and Portkey. Not to mention Dumbledore wanted James to relinquish the Cloak, an item that would facilitate an almost flawless escape.'

'You are correct to be worried,' the blade concurred. 'And it is true, your Monsieur Dumbledore does hold serious cause for suspicion.'

'Then there's the runic array we did not know about, whose activation hinges solely on our demise. And the blasted prophecy. I suspect me and James are sacrificial lambs lead to the slaughter.'

As she removed the glamours hiding the wardstone and fired off the appropriate diagnostic spells, Lily couldn't stop thinking about their newly minted plan to safeguard Harry's future.

'I cannot stop thinking it's all for naught if both me and James die.'

'If you call on the full armor and allow your instincts to guide your movements, nothing short of literally losing your head will bring you down, little one.' Lily stopped, ran her right hand through her hair and sighed deeply.

'Call me Lily,' she said. 'This _little one_ business is driving me up the wall. As a matter of fact, I feel like I should be calling you by your name.'

'I bear no name of my own. Nor have I ever needed one.'

'I'll call you Jeanne, whether you want it or not.'

'My former mistress' name. That name I will use gladly,' the blade said, its voice sounding smug. It made Lily break out a smile, second of the day. After all, nothing but her son could make her smile given current events. As she walked back inside the house, she saw James was playing with Harry. Her smile stayed, seeing her little man happy was good enough to ignore the boy's father.

'How can you still care for the child, Lily? Seeing that his creation was not in accordance to your will, I would have expected you to abandon him and his father after putting the man in his place.'

'Are We mere human beings too complicated for one such as yourself then?'

'I was removed from human society for over half a millennium, little one. Jeanne was my only wielder.'

'I know your former master died without ever knowing motherhood. You must understand that, when we females have a child, we are incapable of not loving them, regardless of the circumstances that lead to their birth. This is the way our gods made us. It's ingrained in our very being.'

'And such attachments bring about tragedies the likes of which your human storytellers only dream about.'

With the wards checked and rechecked, the rest of the day went on without any noticeable events. Soon, came the Halloween crowd, consisting mostly of children in various costumes going from door to door. James stood watching their procession from the front window, feeling a small amount of sadness and nostalgia. Child after child came within 20 yards of the fence, only to be distracted by something and move past without noticing they were unconsciously giving something a very wide berth.

He decided to go back inside the house, closing the door and drawing the curtains shut. Maybe when this whole war blows over, he would be able to take Harry trick-or-treating and even patch things with Lily. If Dumbledore was to be believed, the war was about to decided soon. Meanwhile he would just enjoy the quiet time, listen to the radio, for Wizarding Wireless Network tonight's special programming.

Unbeknownst to him, outside, a tall cloaked figure was purposely walking towards the house, wading through the parents and children like a stork through shallows. One child even stopped and pointed towards the figure, seemingly impressed by the quality of the costume. The figure paid the child no mind and continued towards the hidden property line.

James heard a knock on the door. He wondered who it was. It couldn't have been one of his mates. Remus, Sirius and Peter knew to announce their presence before crossing the wards. He drew his wand with his left hand and tapped a runestone stuck to the inner wall next to the door. Instead of lighting up, it cracked and crumbled into dust.

"Shit…" he muttered. "Lily, the alarm ward broke! We need to get out of here! NOW!" he yelled. "Here, you better take this," he said as he reached for a wrapped bundle that rested on the living room sofa, picked it up and tossed it to Lily, who caught it as she raced up the stairs, towards the child's nursery.

The hooded figure reached the house. James threw the strongest locking spell he knew and prayed the door would hold for more than a second. That hope proved to be in vain, as the hinges vanished and the door was violently banished inward. James had to cast a silent _Reducto_ , barely managing to reduce it to splinters and shards of metal. The figure walked in slowly, and pale hands reached for the hood. That was all the confirmation James needed.

"Lily, it's him. Take Harry and run!"

Holding the wand tightly in his left hand, James reduced the living room table, chairs and the china cabinet to splinters and shards and summoned them to him, along with what used to be the door. He relaxed his arm and, with a flourish, raised it, flinging the debris towards the hooded figure.

'Too damn slow,' James thought to himself. He still couldn't get the same results without his right hand. He would need to finish this fight fast, or he'd be doomed.

The hooded figure raised its wand and, with a lazy wave, blocked every incoming piece. Just as lazily, it removed its hood with both hands. The Dark Lord's face was bone white, it's features, serpentine in nature. A hairless eyebrow rose in apparent surprise. The voice of the man whose name no one spoke broke through the silence.

"Wand in your left hand, Potter?" he asked, with a small sadistic smile on his lips.

"What would life be without change?" the young father replied, slipping into a fighting pose similar to the one used by a certain professor from Hogwarts.

"If my memory serves me right, you are a proficient duelist. Didn't figure you to be so overconfident."

"I thought I'd spice things up. Live and learn," James said as he twirled his wand between the fingers of his left hand. Slowly, the Dark Lord's hand rose, his bone white wand shining strangely in the waning light.

"First, we bow to each other. Come now, Potter, the niceties must be observed. Dumbledore and your father wouldn't want you to forget your manners, would they?"

James felt as though someone was pushing his shoulders forward. He resisted the pressure to bow, forcing himself to stand upright.

"I said bow!" The pressure on James' shoulders was too great and he fell to one knee. His wand arm fell to one side. "Now, was it that difficult?" the Dark Lord asked, as he lifted his wand.

James quickly jumped back to his feet and raised his wand, casting a silent _Stupefy_. The Dark Lord waved the red streak into nothingness as though it was just an annoying bug.

"Now, Potter, there is no need for violence," Voldemort said with a hissing voice.

"You come to visit unannounced, don't ring the door bell. You even blew the door to smithereens. You should've sent an owl, I don't have anything to treat you with." James was struggling to keep his voice as matter of factly as possible, but playing the jovial host to a murderous megalomaniac was proving difficult. Voldemort pointed his wand to the blank space where the front door once stood and simply muttered " _Reparo_ ". Splinters and bits of stray metal started to form back together to cover the entrance. With another wave of the wand, all the broken furniture and china was put back together.

"Call it a gesture of good will," Voldemort said, sounding a bit bored. "I am certain you are aware there is an easier way for this to pass. Just give me the boy and no one else has to suffer."

"Sure. Do you want him gift wrapped as well, huh? Expelli-…" James fell silent, the rest of the word caught in his throat. Voldemort's wand was pointing straight at him.

"You… amuse me, Potter…" he said, as he released his grip on James' throat. "I was thinking of killing you… now, I am considering breaking you… You would be a good addition to my army." James coughed as he tried to catch his breath.

"Let… me see you try," he said, still panting. With a flourish of the Dark Lord's wand, James felt every muscle in his body tense up under an unbearable strain. He forced himself to stand upright, gritting his teeth through the pain.

"Very good…" Voldemort said with a hint of pride. "Finally… a challenge." A second twist of the wand sent hot needles through his bones, but James did not give the Dark Lord the pleasure of yielding. The pain stopped. "Lesser men would have already fallen to their knees, begging for their life," Voldemort said with a smirk on his lips.

"Alas, my lord, you forget, I am a married man. I am afraid you must up your game, sir."

"Indeed…" James took a breath and raised a finger.

"How?" he asked

"You'll need to be … a bit more specific…"

"How did you find us?". Voldemort pulled out the letter he sent just a couple days. The envelope was stained with blood.

"A little bird told me…" James was squinting his eyes, trying to see to whom it was addressed. Then he remembered. The only way Voldemort would have been able to find the house would have been for Peter Pettigrew, their Secret Keeper, to have told him.

"What did you do to Peter?" he asked.

"The letter was cryptic," the Dark Lord said. "I needed Peter to decode it for me."

"Is he…?" the question trailed.

"He is no worse for wear… He came to me."

"Why would he?" Voldemort just smiled. "He wouldn't betray us…"

"A well placed Imperius can do… wonders."

"Then all I need is to kill you and he'll be himself again."

"Do try."

"Before I do. One more thing. How did you bypass the wards? Knowing of the Fidelius can only get you as far as the front door."

"A work of genius… your wards. The strongest forms of protection, deterrent and alarming wards. All undone by… simple vermin."

"What do you mean?"

"Rats, my dear boy…"

"We have a cat, especially for that sort of pests," James said.

"Your cat should not have underestimated rats… They have been watching your house… taunting her, drawing her… into a trap. She's should be somewhere up north by now."

"Still that does not explain how you managed to bypass the wards," James said.

"As I have said before. Rats… they found the ward stone's location… and when they did, they burrowed as close to it as they could and laid in wait."

"In wait for… what?"

"For the order to break... the seals powering the ward."

"Of course… But if you knew where we were, why wait? Why now?"

"Because today… is Halloween… Arcane magics deep at work… And," the Dark Lord said, lifting the bloodied envelope, "because you yourself told us it was the… perfect time to pay you a visit. How has your right… hoof, was it?"

James inched towards the window. The alarm wards might have fallen, but there were other modes to contact the Order should things go awry - the Periculum Charm. At least Dorcas Meadowes and Fabian Prewett would be stationed somewhere close to Godric's Hollow. The Advanced Guard, would call the rest, should the need arise. He raised his wand as fast as he could and managed to shoot a blood red flare through the cracked window.

"I am sorry, am I not enough entertainment for tonight?" Voldemort asked. "I am afraid your… friends won't be coming."

"And how would you know that?"

"Mr. Prewett fell along his brother at the hands of my… Death Eaters, less than an hour ago. He did do quite a bit of damage, killing three of them."

"Well… Shit."

"Your other cohort, Mrs. Meadowes, met her end when she ran into me, right outside the village."

"God fucking damn it."

"They did try to call others using two way mirrors, but… no one answered."

" _STUPEFY!_ " Voldemort did not show any surprise at the sudden attack. He waved off the red streak with a bored gesture.

"You can do better."

James pointed his wand at the couch and flicked it towards the Dark Lord. He quickly did the same thing with every bit of furniture that was not bolted down. However, Voldemort's shield charm proved too strong, everything shattering on impact, as though it hit a brick wall. James looked at the The Dark Lord. He seemed amused by the ineffective onslaught, but he did not budge a single inch.

James then aimed for the broken pieces of wood and said " _Avifors!_ " Suddenly, the debris was transfigured into a fairly large flock of steel-beaked birds, which started swirling above Voldemort's head. With a flick of the mahogany wand, the birds started attacking the shield, concentrating on a single spot. Soon enough, the shield started cracking, creating a hole large enough for the subsequent birds to come through. " _Incendio!_ " The birds' beaks turned into glowing hot arrow tips, which embedded themselves into the Dark Lord's robes, engulfing them in red, orange and yellow flames.

Voldemort looked surprised, but not worried at all. He pointed his wand at the flames and, with the calmest of voices, said " _Aguamenti._ " The fire was put out as fast as it was ignited. With another wave of the wand, his robes were back to normal, not a singe mark on it.

"For a man fighting with a hand virtually tied behind his back…" the Dark Lord said, "you put on quite a show…" He then pointed at the puddle at his feet and, with a sweeping motion, muttered " _Agua Evanesca._ " He spotted the young father's raised eyebrow. "Quite a lovely little house… might just keep it for myself. Always wanted a taste of the… idyllic village life."

" _Incarcerous!_ " In a blink of an eye, heavy twine rope and chains erupted from James' wand, slithered across the hardwood floor and coiled around Voldemort.

"Interesting approach…" he said, sounding bored. "An offensive built on transfiguration spells alone might have … worked on my followers. I, on the other hand, have…" the Dark Lord said, with a eerie echo in his voice, "survived the might of the Ministry." The next thing James heard were the ropes and chains falling to the ground. Voldemort had vanished into thin air.

James did not waste any moment and summoned the remaining birds around him. With a sweeping move, he had them circle the room.

" _Immobulus! Evanesca!_ " The birds froze in the middle of the room and were banished out of existence. Voldemort reappeared in a swirl of black smoke and, pointing at James' head, said " _Seprensortia!_ " From the tip of his wand erupted a 7-foot long emerald-green snake.

James barely dodged the flying reptile. Now he was trapped between one of the darkest wizards of all time and a possibly venomous snake. He tried inching his way to the wall, trying to keep both threats in sight. Managing to see, at the corner of his left eye, Voldemort raising his wand to cast another spell and, at the corner of his right, the snake coiling for its own attack, he knew what he had to do. It all happened in a blink of an eye. With one deft movement, he flicked his left hand upwards, shouted " _Protego!_ ", casting the strongest shield charm he could muster, turned and brought his wand downwards in a slashing motion, hurling a " _Diffindo!_ " towards the snake.

"I must say, I am… impressed," the Dark Lord said.

James surveyed the result of the exchange. His opponent's spell was forced upwards and to the right by his shield charm, blasting a hole in the corner of the room. The reptile was writhing in agony, split clear in half, along its spine.

" _Vipera Evanesca!_ " Voldemort said calmly. The snake caught flame and vanished in a cloud of smoke and cinders. "A shame… she was quite a beauty."

James realised he didn't stand a chance if this fight took any longer. Voldemort was barely winded, while he was once again breathing heavily and could barely keep a grip on his wand. There was only one route he could take to turn things his way - the sacrificial wards Albus had set up. Maybe, if he managed to pull this off, just maybe he could atone in Lily's books. He raised his left arm and, bringing it down in a cutting motion, said " _Sectumsempra!_ " in his most confident voice. Voldemort's eyes widened and, once again, knowing full well what the curse could do, vanished into thin air. The dark cutting curse slammed into the wall and left a deep gash.

"An unexpected surprise, Potter," his disembodied voice echoed through the room. "Who taught you… this spell?" he asked as he blinked back into existence. "Did Dumbledore peek through the wards at the things the Slytherins were up to in their spare time?" He did not wait for a reply. It was his turn to put on a display of speed and power. James barely noticed when the yew wand was pointing to him. An unknown spell broke through the shield and flung him clear across the room and into the wall. Warm liquid started dripping from the back of his head. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.

"Do you ever stop talking?" he said as he chuckled and spat. "Can't you see you've been had? I am nothing but a distraction, wasting your precious time. Lily couldn't care less about me, she and Harry are probably miles away from here by now." James coughed another mouthful of blood. "So, you might just as well bugger off. I've had enough entertainment for one night."

"That glib tongue of yours… might have worked on Dumbledore… but it will not work on me," Voldemort said as he closed in, wand partly raised. "Worse, it might spell your end." James didn't know if Lily and Harry managed to escape or not, so he decided to goad his opponent further into the taking his life and activate the wards. He cleared his mind and pointed his wand towards the Dark Lord.

" _Crucio!_ " Once again, Voldemort's eyes widened. He braced himself for the pain, but felt barely a tickle. It was his turn to chuckle.

"Is this… the best you can do? Let me show you how it's done…" The Dark Lord said smiling. " _Crucio!_ " James felt each of the one thousand virtual white-hot knives bore into his skin and pierce his bones. The pain was so unbearable that he blacked out. However, he came to his senses before he fell to the ground.

"Is that… the best YOU can do?" he asked, panting. He tried raising his wand again and muttered something, but the mahogany piece of wood slipped through his fingers. Whatever spell he tried to cast fizzled out in green sparks.

"This has been a … refreshing bout," Voldemort said as though it has been a game night between friends. He stepped past James and out into the corridor. "But I am afraid I must move on… It would be bad manners to keep a lady waiting."

With the calmest of voices, the Dark Lord raised his yew wand and simply said " _Avada Kedavra!_ " The jet of blinding green light illuminated every corner of the living room and corridor and hit James Potter squarely in the back.

\- meanwhile with Lily and Harry-

The world outside was oblivious to what had just happened. Ghosts and ghouls, sylphs and shadows were still going about their haunts - after all, it was still Halloween.

Voldemort's work that night went mostly unnoticed, just as he planned. Not to mention, breaking the detection and defensive wards was something of a stroke of genius - he might still have some use for Pettigrew's little pals after tonight. He decided it was time to unveil his presence.

" _Morsmordre…_ "

The people of Godric's Hollow froze in their steps when they saw the colossal skull, comprised of emerald stars, with a serpent protruding from its mouth like a tongue, rising higher and higher, blazing in a haze of greenish smoke, etched against the black sky like a new constellation. Chaos ensued, as everyone knew better than to stick around a Death Mark.

Lily saw the green glow shining through the nursery's window. She had been holding her breath, waiting. She still hoped James would have managed to put up the emergency barriers and join them to Portkey the hell out of there. She did hear the commotion downstairs and knew her husband wouldn't stand a chance, especially in his condition. But she did know he would put up a fight and try to buy them as much time as possible.

However, the eerie green glow peering through the window pretty much shattered Lily's hope of seeing James alive. She might not love him as she thought she did just a week before, but she cared for him, and Harry still needed a father figure. But she had to put that out her mind for now.

Lily knew Voldemort would be blowing through the nursery door in a very short time. Still… it was quiet. Seconds felt like hours. She could hear every heartbeat as loud as a hammer on wood, each knock interrupted by the even louder rush of blood through her ears. A soft double chime preceded her tenant's voice.

'Lily.' Nothing happened. 'Lily!' The young mother did not react. 'LILY!' The bracelet vibrated violently, which forced Lily to snap back to reality. 'You must not freeze when your enemy is this close on the battlefield!' Jeanne's tone was one of guarded reproach, much like that one of an adviser to his liege.

'Right…' Her head was pounding, her right arm was numb. Still, Lily knew what she needed to do. She needed to come to her senses, other wise it was all for naught and James' sacrifice would have been in vain. She needed to hatch a plan. A small rustle drew her attention.

"Mama." Harry had his arms up. "Up-py." His tone was worried. But, oddly enough, he was not crying.

"Hey, little guy," Lily said. She reached in her pocket and pulled out a rusty old bolt and a small vial, the contents of which she emptied on one of the cookies beside her son's bed. "Here, have this while we…" The words caught in her throat. "While we wait for your dad." The boy was oblivious of her slight hesitation and panicked tone. Harry downed the cookie in a single bite.

'You put the boy to sleep. Now what?'

'We need to get the hell outta here.' Lily's tone was somewhere between hesitation and frustration.

'A sound plan,' the voice of her tenant replied. 'Considering what just happened downstairs, how do you wish to accomplish it?' Lily picked up James' Invisibility Cloak, which was resting folded on the chair besides Harry's crib.

'I put this on, take the portkey to the Shrieking Shack and make a beeline towards Hogwarts.' Lily and fiddled with the rusty bolt in her left hand.

'You don't sound very confident.'

'Dumbledore's alarm crumbled way too easy. Who knows what else he screwed up?' As the toddler's breathing evened out, Lily took him in her arms, threw the cloak over both of them and spoke the pass-phrase - "Sanctuary."

Instead of the hooking sensation of the portkey, Lily felt a burning sensation start in the center of her palm. The rusty bolt turned orange and heat was radiating off of it in waves, causing Lily to drop it. The bolt turned into a misshaped molten mass that scorched the rug and floor.

"Fuck! _Aguamenti!_ " A stream of water sprouted from the tip of Lily's wand.

'Was this what you were expecting to happen?' Jeanne chimed in. Lily ignored it and threw off the cloak,

Lily moved on to the last resort. She had to ensure Harry's survival at all costs. She quickly wrapped her son in the cloak and put him aside, in a corner, but not before putting a tracking charm and a shielding ward. Next up, a decoy - a pillow transfigured to look like a living, breathing, sleeping baby. It was not perfect, but it will have to do.

The top step creaked. Lily stepped in front of the crib, her right hand behind her back, wand in her left hand aimed at the door. She knew it was useless to lock it. Time seemed to stand still.

'One last stand? A bold idea.'

'Our last way outta here just went up in flames…' Lily said. 'You could say it pretty much is our last stand. I guess you've been here before, haven't you?'

'Yes,' Jeanne said, 'but that was different. They knew I was present. This alleged Dark Lord does not. So, my question to you. Offensive or defensive?'

'Huh?' Lily was unsure of what to answer. The Witchblade's question seemed simple enough, but, when it comes to magical combat, nothing really is full black and white.

'Do you want to take an offensive or a defensive stance?'

'We need to focus on keeping Harry alive. Defend him at all costs.'

'That is all I need to know.' Lily felt the metal crawling up her forearm and the tip of the sword protruded from the underside of her wrist. Time returned to its normal pace.

The door blew inward and, amidst the splinters and dust, in walked the most hated man in all of wizarding Britain, who, if left unchecked, would still bring it all to its knees. As he stepped into the room, Lily raised her wand.

' _Sectumsempra!_ ' Three lines were cut into the dark lord's chest, but no blood came out. Before the Dark Lord could retaliate in kind, six red blurs shot straight for his head, and, even though the projectiles were fast, their target was faster, dodging them by a hair's breadth.

"Most impressive," Voldemort said. "First, James Potter puts on an exquisite display of dueling prowess, much better than I would have given him credit for. Now, little Lily Potter throws blood tendrils at me." His tone seemed genuine. Lily raised an eyebrow and lowered her wand. The Dark Lord stepped closer, his own wand was still pointed down. One more step and he would be within reach of the blade.

"Step aside, you foolish girl, and I'll let you live." Instead of surprising the young mother, Voldemort's words only served to anger her further.

"Up yours" Lily snapped back. Her right hand came from behind her back, and, as the blade extended, she cut in an upwards arc in an attempt to bisect the Dark Lord from groin to chin. Once again, he was simply too fast for the attack, dodging it with a single step. Only, this time, the tip of the blade left a shallow cut on his chin, blood dripping forth.

'He can be hurt, keep up the pressure,' Lily heard Jeanne say, as the tendrils shot for the Dark Lord's navel and elbows. The witch pointed her wand at the floor under Voldemort's feet and cast a silent ' _Bombarda!_ ' The spell was redirected back, forcing her to duck in order to avoid it. Only then, did Lily notice where it would land - two feet above her son. She could do little to deflect it and only hoped the shield would protect him. The slight distraction was all Voldemort needed. Lily never saw the emerald green light heading for her chest.

Time seemed to slow down to a trickle. The Killing Curse almost hit its mark and the Dark Lord was jubilant. The next thing he saw was a metallic flash coming between the curse and its would be target. Instead of piercing through the obstacle, the green light dispelled and faded away.

Lily's eyes turned black. A strange voice started to laugh.

"My turn."

For the second time that night, Voldemort's was forced on the defensive. The tendrils shot forth once again. With a flurry of his robe, he turned to smoke, twisting and turning, trying to avoid the blurred red projectiles. In an instant, six turned to eight, to ten, to twenty, encroaching on the slithering column of smoke, until they had it in their grasp, slowly tightening around it until the Dark Lord was once again solid. The tendrils did not retreat but wrapped around his arms and legs, lodging in his kneecaps and elbows. The Dark Lord found himself lifted in the air.

Countless lines of shining metal flowed forth from the gauntlet and covered all of Lily Potter's body forming dark gray and black armor. Her hair lengthened. With a sudden start, the Dark Lord realized the tendrils were not blood magic, as he thought, but Potter's own hairs entwined with the very same metal that formed the armor.

The tendrils brought him closer to the woman and forced him to his knees. He was unable to move his arms and legs. The creature in front of him was no longer Lily Potter. He could definitely see no trace of the scared mother he defied him twice before. This… was something different, much more powerful.

Its right hand rose and a curved sword blade grew out of the underside of itsforearm. He saw a flash of silver, and felt a thin line of cold, followed by hot, until he felt nothing but numb and his vision dimmed. He did not even felt the mounting pressure on his skull.

"Adieu, Lord-too-afraid-to-die," The creature said, as she wiped her armored boot on the robes of the decapitated corpse of her enemy.

Shortly after, Lily regained her consciousness, finding herself standing in a pool of blood, shards of bone and unidentifiable matter spattered on the walls. Her shirt and pants were rags, her wand nowhere to be seen. She could see the lines of metal retreat into the bracelet, its ruby pulsating once.

"You saved my life, Jeanne. Thank you." Lily's voice reverberated in the confines of the room. She raised her hand, and saw the partially dried blood covering her fingers and gunking up under her now broken nails.

'Your life was in danger, Had I not have done it, I would have had about as much to lose as you. Without a partner, I am powerless.'

Lily found her wand laying at her feet. She waved the wand all over herself, cleaning the blood and mending her tattered clothes back to their previous colorful state. She then waved the wand around the room " _Scourgify_ ". The blood disappeared of the furniture and floor and the unidentifiable matter turned to dust.

And then Harry started crying. As she turned towards her shield, she saw something that stopped her cold - a bloodstain on the cloak covering Harry. She dashed over, ripped off the cloak with an Episkey on her lips ready for any kind of injury on her little man. She released the breath she didn't know she held seeing that her toddler only had a small lightning-bolt-shaped gash on his forehead.

 _ **Review answers (in no particular order)**_

 _ **Lord of Bones:**_ _Thank you for your wonderful summation of the points I was missing. Yes, Snapey became part of a racist death cult, but was still bullied to break his friendship with Lily. He ruined that all on his own in the end. James helped and befriended an outcast and made him feel welcome. That said outcast, who was a Prefect looked the other way while his bigoted BFFs dropped a student on his head and pulled down his pants speaks to me of slavish devotion. That he stayed friends with them after they sent Snape to die in the Shack is dumber than I can ever imagine. I for one think the cowardly Remus in DH that wanted to leave his wife and newborn to fend for themselves while he went to fight the good fight is the author derping on her char profiles. The remus in PoA would have never wanted to do that. Your brick to my head approach is appreciated. *presens virtual cookie*_

 _ **NakedFury and Zentari2238:**_ _A bastard in the books, slightly less int the movies, and not worth defending in the book-verse and movie-verse. This is the realm of fan fiction. We are not bound by the original author's char profiles. Some author's chars are better or worse than cannon (see Lightning on the wave and her full rewrite of cannon for the better versions of said chars). Please understand this :) *presens virtual cookie*_

 _ **Guest (that signed his review SB):**_ _No one knew about the bauble. James "borrowed" the building and enchanting instructions from Remus and an owl from Peter. Dumbles is supposedly calling for them to alleviate the Potters' worries. Snape's mind is his own. Since he is a half-blood in pureblood bigot-dominated Slytherin House, his life may have been hell, or it might have been nothing of the sort. Being around the future death nibblers sculpted his views. Seeing Gryffindors getting away with malicious bullying, seeing his BFF move away from him as the years pass, and seeing her not defending him as much as she should have, given her Prefect and Head Girl status made him a very nasty person. Honestly, given the eye opener I got from a reviewer named above, the best we can make him is an excessively strict teacher who punishes the dumbest of Gryffs worse than the dumbest Slytherins, and takes an obscene amount of points for putting other students at risk through stupidity and for general idiocy in the classroom( like Neville exploding his first potion). *presens several virtual cookies*_

 _ **god of all:**_ _prythee, reserve your praise until we actually get to the school years. If that part isn't up to the same standards as the beginning, withdraw your praise please :) *presens virtual cookie*_


	6. Chapter 5 - Aftermath

**Chapter 5 - Aftermath**

 _ **Author's note(supplied by maniaclot):**_ _ **Howdy, humans. Thank you for all your patience with both me and the other dude**_ _ ***sniggering***_ _ **. It's been a weird couple of months, moving apartments and a bit overstressed with work.**_

 _ **Now everything will fall into place. Fingers crossed.**_

 _ **Hope you've been paying attention to the text and the story. Why? We have been sprinking it with a fair amount of easter eggs. I know, it's not Easter yet, but enjoy the hunt.**_

 _ **Wait, what sort of easter eggs do we have? red? green? blue? nah, just**_ _ **song lyrics, characters from other fandoms, and all that rot.**_

 _ **Found an easter egg? Let us know. Found more than one? Found them all? Let us know. We'll answer**_ _ **any plot-related question if you got them all, except for shipping.**_

 _ **P.S : This is most definitely a not-too-subtle way of begging for more reviews. This chapter contains 1 such eater eggs. Happy hunting**_

 _Flowers, a scent of flowers, always on his mind so he deceives [...]\ Only now does she know_

" _Tergeo_!" The blood on her young son's face cleared up and retreated within the lightning bolt shaped gash. Lily inspected it as best she could. The cut didn't look serious, only covered by a bit of dust from the debris. However, the room was still permeated with the magical residue of the battle.

'Jeanne, could you tell if any magic seeped through Harry's wound?' Lily asked as she held the palm of her right hand on Harry's forehead. The ruby pulsed twice slowly.

'Other than yours and his own, I feel no foreign magic running through his veins. '

" _Episkey_!" she said, replacing her right hand with the tip of her wand. The gash was closing slowly, when she heard a noise coming from downstairs, forcing her to break the spell before it took full effect. All that remained left was a faint trace of the lightning bolt shaped cut. She would need to finish this up later.

Summoning clothes for herself the second time that day, Lily picked Harry up in her left arm and kept her wand at the ready in her right. She exited the nursery and, cautiously, made her way down the stairs. The hallway showed little of the battle that took place just minutes before. Her eyes eventually fell on James' body. She approached slowly. Even though she knew there was little to no hope of him being alive, she kneeled to check on her so-called husband. As expected, there was no sign of a beating heart, nor any imperceptible shallow breaths. The signs of the Killing Curse were obvious. 'Family tradition must be observed,' she said picking up his wand. "I'll make sure this finds its way back to the Potter vault."

Before she could do anything else, she spotted an almost unnoticeable movement just outside her field of vision. The door was edging open.

'I really hate this day,' she thought to herself as she levitated the sleeping boy in an armchair facing the fireplace and away from the door. As the door opened a little more, she shot a Diffindo at the head level of the new intruder. The Severing Curse slashed the air and cut… nothing but the tip of the intruder's hair.

"Lily! W-wait! It's m-me, P-Peter!"

'Isn't he the one with the secret, Lily?' Lily heard the Witchblade chimed in suddenly.

"Hands off your wand. Keep them where I can see them," she said, not letting her guard, or her wand down.

"L-Lily…" Peter looked dishevelled, his hair standing on end, as though he just escaped his own grueling battle. He walked towards her, ignoring her warnings. "Y-you need to c-calm down. W-where is J-james? I came as s-soon as I g-got away from D-death Eaters."

"Stop right there!" Lily's voice was cold as ice. Pettigrew froze in place.

"Lily?" Peter looked worried. "I-is everything O-OK?" His words made no impact on the young mother. She still had him in her sights, her wand tracking his every move. But the Witchblade had different plans. Red-tinted tendrils impaled Peter's shoulders and picked him up so his feet could barely touch the floor.

"Why, aren't you quite the little duelist, you rat." Lily's eyes changed to a darker green as she spoke. "Got away from the servants, did you?" Peter's eyes widened.

"Lily, what are you doing?"

"You're looking wonderfully uninjured for someone who supposedly fought against hardened Death Eaters. Do tell… who is your instructor? He did a marvelous job of whipping a whimp into a lean mean fighting machine," Lily said as she continued mocking her husband's so-called friend.

"You wouldn't know him… he's… a foreigner…" said Peter, as he tried wriggling out of the tendrils' grip. All he managed to do was to end up upside down. Lily drew him closer and rested the tip of the wand on his forehead.

"In case your rat-sized brain has forgotten, let me remind you that I cast the Fidelius charm, therefore I KNOW that the Keeper must willingly share the secret. No form of coercion or magical intrusion is able to pry it from your lips, unless you would be stupid enough to carry a written copy of it. And, let's admit it, you are not that stupid. Are you, Peter?"

"The Dark Lord… you have no idea the things he can do… the weapons he possesses… What would you have done?" Peter looked like he was crying.

"Pa-the-tic. James would have died for you, just like Sirius or Remus. If it were me, I would have tried to claw his eyes out or tear out his throat with my bare teeth, had the occasion arisen."

The familiar pop of someone apparating caused Lily to lose focus for just a second. Long enough for the tendrils to loosen their grip. Long enough for Peter to notice and he didn't need to think too much. He started shrinking, but before he could slip through his bonds, a new set of tendrils sprouted. They tried wrapping around their target, but they missed wildly. However, they did manage to lop off index and middle fingers of the rat's right hand. The injured animal scurried across the floor and under the debris, and all tendrils retreated.

" _Sectumsempra_!" Lily's curse ripped through the wood and rubble, but Peter disapparated before the spell hit its mark. 'Shit!' Her frustration was starting to get the better of her.

'You must exhibit patience,' the Witchblade whispered in her ear. 'You have downed one enemy, but this war is far from done.'

'We could have used him! He has a lot to explain. To me. To the authorities.' Lily's thoughts were cut short by the sound of footsteps coming from outside the broken living room window. She moved quietly and peeked outside, aiming her wand towards the intruder. A familiar silhouette showed itself from the shade of the rowan tree. The man dropped a heavy cloak to the ground and started running, almost crashing through the door. Once in, he looked around panicked, scanning the aftermath of the battle fought minutes before. His eyes quickly fell on Lily's wand, pointed straight at his head. He raised his empty hands to show he came in peace.

"Thank Merlin you are safe!" Snape said, with a sigh of relief.

"Well, if it isn't Severus Snape." Lily said with a mock-cheerful tone. "How the hell would you know where I live, Severus?" she continued, tilting her head to the side.

"The Headmaster… told me."

"It was not his secret to share. And, even so, it would have been a useless bit of information. Unless… it wasn't Dumbledore who told you." She started pacing, piecing together the information she had. "Which would mean that it would have had to have been Peter. But, that would be impossible, since you aren't exactly on speaking terms."

"I am telling you, I am here under Albus' orders. Please believe me." Snape's voice was still shaking, a mix of anxiety and shock.

"I doubt he would have had a loose piece of paper with my address written by Peter. Which would mean you would have had to find out this location from the rat himself. That can only mean that you would be in league with the goon squad that attacked us tonight. Now, tell me, what exactly is stopping me from blowing you to bits right where you stand?" asked Lily, feinting an attack.

"WAIT! You're right! I am - I mean I was! Put down the wand, let me close the door and I'll explain!"

"Sure, where are my manners? Please do come in and close the door. Hope you don't mind me not trusting you enough to lower my defenses just yet. I haven't forgotten your duels with… my late husband." Lily nodded towards James' corpse.

"If only I had known He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named would attack tonight, I would've…"

"Spare me the what-ifs. You said you're here under Dumbledore's orders. Why? Why would he send YOU, out of all people? You are not even part of the Order."

"He thought there might be a traitor in the Order's midst. One who would sell you to the Dark Lord in a blink of an eye," said Snape. "He didn't know who could be trusted…"

"Again, why would he trust you, a Slytherin, with connections to known Death Eaters?"

"Because of the Prophecy." Lily stepped closer.

"How do you know about the Prophecy?" she asked, the tip of the wand now inches away from Snape's crooked nose. "And how would that even matter?"

"I overheard it when it was made. And, to my shame, I was the one… who told the Dark Lord about it."

"So you're the reason we became that bastard's targets in the first place. You are his spy! You know, this isn't helping your case. You have sixty seconds to explain why I shouldn't redecorate the house with your innards."

"Because I told Dumbledore who was the Dark Lord's target."

"Not helping!" Sparks flew from Lily's wand. Snape had to step back and cover his face.

"Remember what the prophecy says. It doesn't name your son. As soon as I heard the Dark Lord say the names of the two boys whom he considered could possibly pose a threat to him… I ran straight to Dumbledore."

"Still doesn't explain why would he trust you of all people. I doubt he gave you Veritaserum. Not that you wouldn't know how to counter it. So tell me, how could you possibly convince the old coot?"

"Because of this!" In a flash, his wand was out. " _Expecto Patronum!_ " Lily did not expect the thin silver wisp to quickly form into a sleek doe and to nuzzle up against Snape.

"That… can't be! Since when?" asked Lily, lowering her wand.

"Can't actually say… I think it was soon after we both graduated from Hogwarts. I started catching glimpses of what we had before you decided to fall for James."

"Glimpses? Of what? What exactly are you talking about?"

"Of our past friendship. The glimpses were blurry until I started practicing Occlumency. I may not be proficient yet, but it allowed me to remember enough."

"But why didn't you say anything?"

"Because you looked like you either didn't care or didn't remember. Either way, I need you to know that, even though you might have broken my heart, I care about you and always will do everything I can to protect you," Snape said as he tried to take her hand in his, but Lily pulled back before he could do that.

"So you did everything, risked your life on glimpses of shattered memories?" Snape turned his head in embarrassment.

"I should probably go. My wife will get worried if I am late."

"Severus…" she started to say, but she heard a small chime.

'I advise caution with the information you provide him,' the Witchblade said.

'I won't tell him too much. Just that… he needs to know. He might still prove a useful ally in the future.' Lily composed herself and said: "Severus, there's something you should know… The truth behind those memories. And I want your promise that you will not judge me for what I am about to say."

"Of course."

"Yes, we were friends. And close ones. Then something… happened." She walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. "Take a seat, let me tell you what I myself have recently unlocked."

Lily proceeded to recount the tale of the bauble incident, leaving out the way she came by the truth of what happened that night. The more of the story she told, the more Snape looked he was piecing things together.

"So let me get this straight. He had you bound to him, under threats he would murder your entire family and myself. And the reason I don't remember any of it is because he probably altered my memory when he did yours. And has been doing it since that winter break," Severus summed up Lily's tale.

"Pretty much sums it up."

"That would explain how the memory flashes started soon _after_ graduating. Potter no longer had access to me to mess with my mind. He should have been a Slytherin."

"Probably. Sirius too."

"So what are you going to do now? With the Dark Lord and Potter both dead…"

"I still have something to live for. Or rather someone." Lily got up from the couch and walked to the armchair in which Harry was sleeping. "And I hear you do too."

"Yes…" Severus said with a sheepish smile on his face. "My wife and daughter. She's just a little older than your son." Before he could continue, however, they were interrupted by a very distinctive sound - the bark and purr of a familiar motorcycle.

"Shit," Lily said as she jumped to her feet. "You need to go, now!"

"I'm not leaving you alone." He had his wand ready.

"You don't understand." Lily looked worried. "It's most probably Sirius. If he sees you, he won't wait for an explanation of what happened here before he tries to kill you."

"I can take him!" Snape said with a growl.

"I know you can, but you don't HAVE to. And, if things go my way, you might still be able to help me later on. I'll send you an owl in a couple of days." He nodded, summoned his cloak and ran off as quietly as possible.

For the fourth timethat night, someone came crashing through the door. The hinges felt the stress.

"Where is he?" asked Sirius Black as he stormed in, a grim expression on his handsome face, disheveled clothes and windblown hair. "Where is he!?" he asked again looking around.

"Calm down, Sirius. You'll wake up Harry," Lily said calmly. His grey eyes finally fell on the young mother, sitting beside her son.

"Shit… Lily, what the hell happened here?" She could see he was making an effort to keep his voice calm.

"What do you think? Voldemort happened."

"I heard voices. Who was here? Was it him?"

"No, it was Professor Dumbledore's spy, with a warning that his master was coming for us. Late… as was the help Dumbledore promised us."

"Where's James?" Lily pointed to the body in the corner of the room. Sirius fell to his knees when he saw his friend just lying there. He slowly pulled himself in a seating position right beside his deceased best friend. "The Killing Curse?"

"Yes."

"How did this happen? I thought you were all protected? Albus's wards are known to be infallible."

"It was his shoddy handywork that got us into this mess." Lily picked the still sleeping Harry in her lap and started telling the story of what happened that night. "The alarm wards didn't trip when Voldemort Apparated in the area, and the house's wards fell in mere seconds. When James tried to raise the alarm himself, the signalling runestone broke. No one came, so he had to fight him, keep him busy long enough for me to grab Harry and take a portkey to your old haunt, the Shrieking Shack. Of course that failed too," she said, tracing a finger through her son's hair. "Hell, the thing nearly burned my hand off. Next thing I know, Voldemort is in the nursery, bruised and bleeding. That meant that James managed to get some damage in. But that bastard being in the room with me and my son meant that my husband was dead downstairs. I tried put up quite a fight, but he was too strong. To the point of being unbelievably careless… I managed to throw a cutting curse that separated his head from his shoulders. I could have stopped there, waited for the Ministry. But he broke into my house, killed James and threatened me and my son, so… his head met with a _Reducto_." Sirius sat speechless for a couple of minutes, trying to process her story.

"If only "Grrah!" he blurted out a guttural snarl. "For Merlin's sake! How could he have done this? How could Dumbledore have thrown you to the wolves like this? Has he lost his damn mind?"

"We'll deal with him later."

"So… what now?" asked Sirius, but, before he could get an answer, they heard heavy footsteps practically running towards their house. Lily set Harry aside and rushed to the window. What they both saw was a half-giant stumbling his way through the front yard. "What in seven hells does he want?"

"He is most likely here for Harry," said Lily. "I forgot to tell you about the wards in his room, set to trigger upon James' death and mine." The half giant was almost at the door.

"Shit…" Sirius muttered. "Where's James' cloak?" Lily summoned it to her hand. "Quick, put it on. I'll deal with him." She nodded and got under the cloak.

The front door could not take any more abuse and fell off its hinges at the slightest touch from the huge man's hand. The half-giant had to bow upper body in order to enter the house.

"Stop right there! Not a step further! Why are you here, Hagrid?" asked Sirius, wand pointed towards the man's forehead.

"Oh! Ehm… Evenin' Sirius. Didn' see yeh there… Mind if yeh point tha' thin' som'where else?" Hagrid asked, holding an ugly pink umbrella too small for him in his right hand. Few knew that it actually housed the remains of his wand, snapped in half when he was expelled from Hogwarts.

"Not until you tell me why you are here."

"I'm 'ere on Professor Dumbledore's orders," said Hagrid, puffing his chest out, a self-important smile creeping on his face. "I'm to take 'Arry to 'im, since 'is parents are…" His smile faded just as fast as it appeared.

"And how would you know that his parents are no more?"

"I know 'cause Professor Dumbledore told me. Since 'is parents are dead, I'm to take 'im ter a safe location."

"I am afraid I can't let you do that. You see, I have my doubts about what happened here. If Dumbledore did cast these wards correctly and Voldemort... STOP CRINGING, YOU BIG BABY! If Voldemort still managed to kill James and Lily, that would mean our dear professor is starting to show his old age. I'm concerned what would happen to Hogwarts if any Death Eaters decide to attack when he's not around."

"But, Professor Dumbledore said I'm ter take him to his auntie…" said Hagrid, after shaking his head, still reeling from hearing that name. "Little Harry needs his family now more than ever."

"Look, would you kindly remind Albus I am the boy's godfather? I can take care of him for the time being. Taking him to a Muggle family right now is too dangerous, not without the proper protection."

"But ter protection is already in place." This particular comment caused Sirius to raise an eyebrow.

"Reeeeally now?" he asked in his most sarcastic tone possible. "Same protection this house has? Or should I say had? Should we ask the owners how that worked out for them? James is dead and Lily's missing." Anger started boiling to the surface and hot sparks shot out of the tip of his wand and landed on the half-giant's face.

"Oy! Watch'it!" Hagrid said, tightening his grip on his umbrella.

"Or what? You're gonna curse me with that broken wand of yours?"

"How… how did yer know?" Hagrid took a deep breath and calmed down. "Doesn't matter, we all know the boy's place is with 'is family. Nothing will protect him better than blood bonds. And, if the Headmaster says it is for the Greater Good, he must know what he's talking 'bout."

"Headmaster Dumbledore can take his Greater Good and shove it where the sun don't shine, Hagrid. MY godson is staying with me until I can find out what happened to Lily," Sirius said with increasing venom in his voice. His anger became apparent once again as his wand, which until then was glowing red, started turning to a sickly green. "Now I would recommend you run along to your master, Hagrid, before I let you see what a Killing Curse looks like from 2 feet away. I may hate the dark part of my family, but you will see what a Black can really do if pissed off."

Hagrid turned on his heels and raised his umbrella. Sirius thought it was to attack. Instinctively, he stepped back and attempted to cast a Full Body Bind curse, but, before he could utter the first syllable of the incantation, ropes of flowing metal wrapped around the half-giant's legs and launched their target headfirst through the window, into the rowan tree. Sirius watched in awe as the ropes of metal retreated under the edge of the Invisibility Cloak.

"What the…?" a gobsmacked Sirius started to ask as Lily removed the cloak and stuffed it in the baby's diaper bag. She turned towards him and, putting the tips of her fingers on his chin, closed his mouth for him. An unnatural tingle coursed through him.

"Sirius, we're going. Are you coming or not?" Shaking his head, Sirius reached and took Harry from his mother.

"Where to?" he asked, forcing himself to smile.

"Greengrass Manor. I need Evelyn's help."

"How did you do…..THAT" Sirius spoke waving his arm in a whip cracking motion "to Hagrid?" Lily turned towards Sirius, caught his waving arm, lowered it to the marauder's side and said with a wink.

"Swear an oath to keep my secrets, and I'll tell you… maybe."

-section break-

"Any news from the protection detail assigned to the Potters?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"Nothing yet. I am sure they'll check in soon, Minerva." Headmaster Dumbledore was pacing in his office under the watchful eye of his deputy. He needed the peace and quiet to plan his next move, but, since she heard of the possibility Voldemort would attack them, the woman was relentless. A small tingle drew his attention from his colleague - his informant was ready to report his findings. "It is getting late, my dear, you should get some rest. I will let you know if anything comes in, as soon as it does."

"You'd better. Remember, you promised them help if they needed it. I'd hate to see something happen to them," McGonagall said, scowling. "Not to mention, you of all people know the risks of excessive secrecy. You know what it did to the Ministry and why we can't rely on most of them."

"You have my word," Albus replied with a reassuring smile on his face. He walked her out of his office and, while bidding her goodnight, he checked if anybody else was lingering about. No one could know the identity of his spy, in case he would need a scapegoat. He went back into his office and entered the hidden passageway behind the mirror. The cloaked man had his face obscured in the shadows of his hood and his wand, lit and pointing at the old man's face.

"No need for such excessive measures my boy," Dumbledore said.

"I will be the judge of that, Headmaster," the man said with a growl, lowering his wand. "James Potter is dead. And the Dark Lord has been killed." If the cloaked man didn't know any better, he could have sworn that the man before him was happy about one part of the news, but couldn't say which part, exactly.

"What about Lily Potter?" the Headmaster asked.

"She wasn't there. As for the child, I thought I heard him cry, but before I could ascertain his condition and location, someone had arrived," the cloaked man replied with no emotion in his voice. "I had to retreat, or risk being discovered, which, I am sure, is not in our best interests."

"How did Voldemort die? And how can you be sure it wasn't one of his acolytes?"

"The manner of the Dark Lord's death was inconclusive, however his unique magical signature was all over the house, and there was a body in the nursery. And the one who came there after me wasn't a Death Eater. By his voice it was one of James Potter's friends." The report was presented in the same emotionless, growling voice.

"Are you sure there was no sign of Lily Potter?" Dumbledore asked, covertly probing his mind. However he was met with a solid fortified mental shield. Upon feeling the intrusion, the cloaked man repelled it with the equivalent of a sledgehammer. His wand was back up in Professor Dumbledore's face. The old man reeled, but kept his footing.

"If you doubt my sincerity, Headmaster, be so kind as to tell me so in words. You certainly are capable," the man replied angrily. "I've had my fill of power crazed megalomaniacs rummaging through my head with the finesse of a rampaging hippogriff." He turned on his heel to leave, when Dumbledore stopped him.

"Severus, my boy. Please wait," the Headmaster tried to plea, placing his hand on the now named man's shoulder. His hand was pushed away.

"I refuse to be subjected to this kind of indignity, Headmaster. I have presented my report on the Potter attack, all other matters can wait until morning. I have brewing to do and a family to feed."

The Headmaster was distracted for a moment, his wards notifying him of Hagrid and Professor McGonagall on their way to his office. As Severus Snape turned to walk away, the Headmaster summoned a parchment from his desk and threw it to him. Severus stopped it in mid air and grabbed it.

"What is this, Headmaster?"

"Consider it an incentive for you to take up professor Slughorn's old position. You certainly deserve it. With your previous 'employer' deceased, I'd hate to see you waste away in some apothecary. Your talents would be better put to use here, at Hogwarts."

"I'll think about it Headmaster." the young man said, without turning, and walked further down the passageway.

-section break-

Headmaster Dumbledore put on the face of the slightly senile old man he used in front of Hagrid and the other teachers and he walked into his office once again. The first thing he noticed was that the half-giant looked worse for wear.

"I was under the impression you had retired to your quarters for the night, Minerva." The Deputy Headmistress rolled her eyes.

"I had the displeasure of running into a very haggard Hagrid." She was using her professorial voice, when she was about to dish out detention. "When I asked him what had happened, he didn't want to say, only muttered he wanted to speak to you. Something about the Potter family. It only made sense to bring him to you." She turned to Hagrid and said, "Go ahead." Hagrid looked sheepishly at her and, then, at the Headmaster.

"Go on, my boy, what news have you of the Potters?"

"Dark Lord's fall'n 'n Godric's Hollow." Dumbledore's face remained emotionless, while Minerva McGonagall's jaw fell in shock and surprise.

"How did this come to pass?" she asked.

"He attacked the Potters, Professor. The house's a mess, James's dead, and Lily, she's gone missin', so's 'Arry. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is lyin' in the nursery missin' 'is 'ead." Streaks of anger poured over the deputy Headmistress look of surprise.

"When did this happen, Headmaster? What of the guard you assigned them?"

"Less than two hours ago, Minerva. That is troublesome. Fabian and Dorcas were under strict instructions to contact the rest of the Order, as soon as they saw any sign of trouble. Any sign of them, Hagrid?" Before the half-giant could answer, McGonagall interrupted.

"You pompous windbag! You sat behind these walls, in your comfy chair at the Halloween Feast, stuffing your face and making polite conversation like nothing was wrong, while the Potters were facing the most powerful dark wizard of this century? With only two people to back them up?"

"Minerva…" Dumbledore tried to stop her.

"And then, what do you do? You send Hagrid, who, at best, is a hinderance in combat? Sure, he's big, but what can he do against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? Wave his hands at him and scare him off?"

"The Headmaster sent me ter fetch young Harry and bring 'im here so he can be taken ter 'is Muggle relatives." Hagrid piped in before Dumbledore stopped him. The Headmaster covered his face with his hands and let out a frustrated sigh. Professor McGonagall now looked positively murderous.

"He sent you to do WHAT? Let me get this straight, Albus. You were waiting for a sign to send additional support, which by the way, NEVER CAME. And then you somehow KNEW to send the Groundskeeper to take the child from his parents' house and deliver him to his Muggle relatives, knowing full well how they treated his parents? You might as well have sent Argus Filch to clean the house out while you were at it."

A slight tap on the window interrupted McGonagall's tirade. An eagle owl was patiently awaiting to be let in. The Headmaster opened the window to let it in and reached for the letter. The owl screeched at him and flew to the deputy Headmistress. The letter it carried bore the seal of Gringotts. With a trembling hand, Minerva broke the seal and pulled out two pieces of parchment. As she read through one, her eyes widened, and the letter dropped to the desk.

"What is it Minerva? Is it the letter?" Dumbledore asked, looking startled.

"It's from Gringotts. James' will reading is tomorrow at 10." She turned to leave. "This discussion is not over, Dumbledore. Not until we get to the bottom of how this could have happened."

 **A.N no 2 (shadeslayer): We apologise for the probably-poor approximation of Hagrid-speak. FYI dear readers, as a writing convention from now on, when House Elves speak proper English, it means their family took the time to teach them to speak properly. In our little AU, only mistreated elves, especially Dobby, speak broken English.**


	7. Chapter 6 - Periculum

**Chapter 6 - Periculum**

 **AN: just to clear up some small facts, here Lily is an Unspeakable, namely a Healer for the Department. And Lady Greengrass is with the Department R &D. Since the last time anything was published, we recieved few revies, so there will be no review replies for now…. Enjoy.**

 **P.S: Disclaimer still applies (and always will)... and there are 3 eater eggs to find**

 _The entire world will stare/ Into this battlefield tonight/ As I stand before you/ With a warrior's heart now/ I can feel the strength that will/ Ensure my victory this time._

 _Last time with Sirius and Lil **y**_

 _ **"Where to?" [Sirius] asked, forcing himself to smile.**_

" _ **Greengrass Manor. I need Evelyn's help."**_

 _Now, back to our regularly scheduled mayhem…_

 _Night time, between October 31st and November 1st_

"Lily, are you sure going there is safe? Dumbledore's intel says her husband financed the Death Eaters."

"Sirius, Dumbledore has recently proved to be as reliable as a chocolate teapot. I wouldn't believe him telling me the sun is up without looking out a window." Lily replied, moving towards the forest at the edge of the village. Sirius, still in shock, jogged to keep up with her fast striding. "Plus, Evelyn and I were friends in Hogwarts, even though she's a few years older than me. And she did help train me when I started working in the Department of Mysteries. Aaand, while our dear Headmaster did tell us mere minions the bare minimum of info to get us by, her information was far more reliable. Wish I had listened to her when we she told me our house was not as safe as it should have been. But James went along with Dumbledore's oh-so-great plan of hiding under a Fidelius. I was the one to cast the bloody charm, and even that didn't make me feel any better."

Reaching the treeline just outside the edge of the village, Lily turned to Sirius. "We're clear of any remaining detection wards. They shouldn't be able to track us as easily as from within the house. I want you to go ahead and get in touch with Remus."

"What of Peter?" Sirius asked.

"Don't try to track him. I'll help you with that little chore, after I get some things done." Sirius nodded. Lily continued, without looking at him.

"James' will reading will probably be within the next few days. James had the goblins send a copy to you. Hide it in your vault. Better yet, duplicate it and keep the second on you. I want evidence of James' last wishes, just in case Dumbledore or Barty Crouch decide to do something stupid. Not that they have been using their brains all that much lately." Both of them chuckled.

"And Harry? What will you do about him?"

"I will keep him safe," the young mother said. "If everything goes my way, the Wizarding World will not be seeing hide nor hair of him until he goes to school. I will contact you soon." With that, she clutched her still sleeping son tighter to her chest and vanished quietly.

The place she reappeared in was a thickly wooded area. A cobbled lane led to a wrought iron gate, adorned with runes and bearing a darkened coat of arms. She levitated a pebble and shot it at the gate. It disintegrated into sand before it reached the gate. With a pop, a small creature appeared before her, it's garb consisting in a handkerchief with the same coat of arms embroidered just over where its heart would be.

"What is the reason for this disturbance?" the creature asked, in a piping voice, trying to sound as irked as possible. "The Masters never said anything of guests this late at night." Lily sighed, trying to suppress a small smile, and looked the creature in the eyes.

"I would like an audience with the lady of the house. Inform your Mistress Evelyn that her colleague from _That Place_ is here with news of the fate of a certain snake face delusional bastard. I will wait for her response." The small creature nodded and disappeared.

While she was waiting, Lily took her time to decipher the runes on the sides of the gate. If what she saw just seconds ago was any indication, this place would prove a far safer location than their home in Godric's Hollow. Only then did she realize that she could no longer call that place 'Home'. A single tear welled up at the corner of her eye.

'If war taught me anything, it would be this,' Jeanne said, a quiet chime later. 'Home is where the heart is, not a building, not a plot of land.'

'Spying on me, are you? That's not very nice, is it now?' Lily replied, wiping the tear off.

'It cannot be helped. I can hear your thoughts as clearly as if they were shouted by a town crier.' A small bitter smile crept on Lily's face. 'The fight might be over, but the war, most certainly, is not. I am not your enemy, but if I am able to hear your thoughts this clearly under duress, so will others, which would definitely be detrimental to your future plans.'

'Thank you for letting me know. I'll need to brush up on my Occlumency.'

A quiet pop announced the return of the small creature. It looked oblivious as it announced her 'Mistress Evie' would be down momentarily and disappeared, without another word.

'House elves… Gotta love 'em,' Lily mused. Shortly after, she felt a familiar presence approaching. "Entertaining little creatures, don't you agree, Evie?" she asked before turning to face her host.

"They may very well be. I wouldn't know. At times, your Muggle upbringing is refreshing, no wizard-born would even consider them. I, for one, have never bothered analyzing the way they think, or how much they think for themselves. They just do what they are told. And THAT can get annoying."

Evelyn Greengrass made her way through the gate, under an orb of blue light. She appeared to be in her late twenties, with long wavy blond hair falling past her shoulders in a tight braid. The perfect shape of her body did not show any hint her real age. She was beautiful, but it wasn't a feminine kind of beauty; her beauty was rougher, with a hint of exoticness, the most obvious feature were her large blue eyes. She wore a black housecoat over a long black velvet dress and low boots. She had her wand at the ready in one hand and a rapier in the other.

"We live in dangerous times and one can't be too cautious about who crosses your threshold. If you truly are Lily Evans, you won't mind telling me who were you going to ask for a date before Samhain in your third year, would you?" Evelyn inquired, a well trimmed eyebrow raised questioningly, her wand aimed straight at Lily's heart.

"Remus Lupin." Lily replied, rolling her eyes. "That was before the other moronic marauders stole all my undergarments and hung them from the chandelier in the Common Room. The bloody coward of course did nothing about it." The woman laughed.

"And when I thought James Potter couldn't do anything dumber, his unofficial brother, Regulus Black goes and hangs all your granny panties from the light fixtures." This time it was Lily's eyebrow that rose to question something.

"I think you meant Sirius. By the way, those were boxer briefs. Less chafing." Evelyn's wand hand dropped and a smile bloomed on her face.

"It's good to see you, Lily. We missed you at work. And you'd think working in the DOM couldn't get dreary." Lily didn't share the smile.

"Evie, The Dark Lord is dead." The woman's eyes widened.

"You don't look like you're joking. So, I'm going to be direct. How did you come by this information?" Lily's eyes hardened.

"Less than 2 hours ago, he attacked us in our own home, came after Harry. James died trying to keep the bastard out. When he reached me and Harry, he offered to spare me if I step aside and let him kill my son. Needless to say, I refused, he attacked and I, somehow, managed to kill the wanker."

"Are you sure he's expired?"

"He's missing his head. He can't be anything BUT dead."

"Far more experienced wizards and witches fell beneath the bastard's wand… How can it be that you have managed to end him?"

"Call it luck, call it sloppy planning on his side. One thing I know, he never took into account what a mother is capable of and willing to do to protect her child," Lily said, in a weary tone. Evie sighed, and motioned towards the gate.

"You got that right. Please come in, you must be exhausted. I'll have your son put to bed with my daughter. Less work for the elves that way."

\- section break -

Evelyn and Lily sat down in the house's kitchen, warming up over a cup of hot loose leaf tea. It was about as lavish as it could be expected of a manor kitchen - polished white marble, African blackwood panelling, brass hardware, pots and pans, antique kitchen furnishings, all perfectly maintained, most likely by house elves, eager to please their masters. The stark contrast of the colour scheme was broken emphasized by the elves' uniforms - all wore the same white silk pillowcases with the Greengrass coat of arms embroidered in black. The only one whose colours were reversed was the one who answered the summons at the manor's gate, with a slight difference, the embroidery on his improvised toga was gold thread.

"That should take the chill out of your bones," said Evie, gracefully setting down her cup.

"Mhmm" replied Lily, munching on a crumpet.

"More tea? Milk? Scones perhaps?" asked her host, somewhat amused, sly smile on her lips, yet, keeping her composure.

"Mmno, thank you. I really needed that." Lily said wiping her mouth.

The few elves still present were scurrying about, cleaning plates, and transfiguring the left overs. With a sigh, her host put her cup down and motioned for the elves to leave.

"You said, HE is dead. How did that happen?"

"Evie, you are definitely NOT going to believe me, so I'd better show you. Fetch a Pensieve and get yourself something stronger than tea. We're going to need it, if I am to relive it and you to believe it." Evelyn's brow rose.

"Dolly, fetch the master's Pensieve. And a bottle of Ableforth gin, Navy Strength," she asked one of the elves. Dolly disappeared with a quiet pop and returned moments later with a large stone bowl and a bottle levitating behind her and holding a pair of glasses in her hands. After setting them on the table, she stepped back and looked as though she was waiting for more orders. Evelyn dismissed her with a simple nod, then proceeded to pour the spirit in the glasses.

"Navy strength?" Lily looked puzzled.

"The benefits of having a Squib uncle, with a strange taste for adventure, and obscure navy lore" said Evelyn, with a sad smile, as though she remembered a bittersweet memory, and handed Lily her glass. "He told me that the Royal British Navy demanded gin to be bottled at a minimum of 57% alcohol, so that, if it was accidentally splashed on gunpowder, the powder would still ignite." She took a sip of the drink. "My uncle said they just wanted something to keep the sailors from complaining about the food. Or lack thereof." Lily read enough through the lines not to pry. She took a gulp as well and felt the juniper taste invading her nostrils, as well as the warmth spreading through her body.

"That's better," she said. "Thank you, Evie. Really." She sat straighter in the chair. "Now, back to the matter at hand. I do owe you an answer to your question. But…" Lily paused as she set the empty glass down on the kitchen table, "…before I show you anything, I want your promise you will not say anything to anyone, especially in the Department… The last thing I need would be to have them draft me as a ' _volunteer_ ' for some… artefact research." The silence went on for a few more seconds.

"This better be scandalous or impressive, Lily," she said. "I promise. Actually, I will do one better," she added, a couple seconds later, pulling her wand out. "I, Evelyn Greengrass swear on my magic that I will keep the information that Lily Evans-Potter provides me secret, until released by her. So mote it be."

"Thank you, Evie. However, a promise would have sufficed."

"Wouldn't want you to hold out on any juicy bits, would I now?"

Lily pulled her own wand, and put it to her temple. The silvery strand was quite large. As it fell into the bowl, Lily put a hand on the other woman's shoulder.

"One more question, before we go in: To the extent of your knowledge, is there anything in this world that could stop a fully powered Killing Curse? I mean, I have read accounts of Goblin-forged armor withstanding the blow of the curse, but no proof." Her interlocutor raised an eyebrow yet again.

"That is a strangely pointed question. I know 3 things, but for one, you aren't a parselmouth, secondly, no human can power battle wards strong enough to work for that purpose, and the third is being inside a non-magic zone created by a disjunction. All books on disjunctions in the UK are in the DOM, and only the director has the clearance to go in there."

"Well… I think there might be something else you can add on that list, after you finish witnessing tonight's events. This," Lily said, pointing at the silvery blue swirling mist within the Pensieve, "will also answer one of your other oftenly asked questions."

"Which one?" Evie asked.

"What on earth got into me, that I ended up marrying the part-time jackass and full-time Gryffindor poster boy, Mr. James Potter," Lily replied in a dramatic voice and extended her hand.

Evie rolled her eyes at the theatrics and took her hand. Both of them dipped their free hands in the swirling surface of the Pensieve. Lily felt as though she dived in head first into an icy pool. She kept her breathing normal, knowing full well it was all an illusion, and watched, in silence, as Evelyn Greengrass witnessed the events of the past week unfold, void of any expression. The older woman, to her credit, contained her surprise at the sight of the artefact and its unique tenant, the utter disgust at the memories it unlocked, as well as the shock of her friend's battle with the darkest wizard of their age. Yet, the manner of that death did manage break the stern facade, just in time for the memories provided by her friend to turn to silvery white wisps. She turned and nodded. It was time to return.

The moment they were back in the kitchen, Evie stood up from her chair with an incredulous look on her face. She grabbed the bottle and poured, filling the glasses to the brim, then one-shotted her own.

"He practically kidnapped you and tortured you… Forced an anything but freely given vow to marry him, then wiped your memory of it, basically letting the magics of the vow run their course. That is the last thing I would have thought of to explain your wedding. And Professor Dumbledore's involvement…" She picked up Lily's glass and swirled it around, inhaling the alcohol vapors it was giving off. "At least you managed to break those shackles. But why not leave right then and there?"

"Two words: my son. Dumbledore was the architect of my predicament, I didn't know who I could trust, nor if I could take Voldemort on by myself." Evie winced at the sound of the name, but recovered quickly.

"One thing I don't understand is, if you broke free, in a very spectacular fashion I might add, why did HE stay?"

"Not leaving Harry's side… might have been Dumbledore's orders, might have been paternal instinct showing through." Lily looked a little sad as she spoke. "I mean, he never treated Harry as anything else but as his son, not as the Professor's weapon."

"His only redeeming action. For all of his other misdeeds, he got what was coming to him," Evie said in monotone.

"What about the … other thing?" Lily asked a couple moments later. Evie stared deeply in the glass, as though she was trying to find the bottom of an abyss, then downed it in a single sip.

"Merlin help us all. There is more than one. And the Potters were hiding it in Gringotts."

"Yes."

"And you killed the Dark Lord with it's help."

"Exactly."

"At least something good came of it." Evelyn had her head in her hands. "This is WAAAAY beyond our pay grade Lily. I am going to pretend I know nothing of what you got forevermore. In fact, I will do whatever I can to forget it as soon as possible. Do what you will." Lily gave her friend a wan smile.

"I will."

"And what will you be telling the people who will be asking for details about what happened tonight?"

"The same thing I told Sirius. The madman broke through badly cast wards, with the aid of a certain mangy rat. James tried to stall him while I attempted to escape with Harry via Portkey to Hogwarts through the Shrieking Shack. The Portkey failed in a spectacularly explosive fashion. The intruder crashed into the nursery, badly wounded after the fight with the boy's father. Still cocky as the King of Spades, attitude that made him sloppy enough to take our own duel lightly, let his guard slip open, wide enough for me to get a lucky Severing Charm in and took off his head. Then, to add insult to injury, I blew his head up with a blasting curse." Lily picked up the gin bottle and took a swig. Evelyn shook her head.

"That story might be the dumbest thing I have ever heard. The public will eat it up nicely, masses always love a tragic sob story. However, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement might not be so inclined to believe your account without consistent proof, especially with Dumbledore whispering in his ear, in his usual _advisory_ capacity."

"What do you think he'll do?" Lily asked.

"If it were up to Dumbledore, he would do whatever he can to get his hands on Harry. Most likely he would make him out as the Savior of wizard-kind, make it look as though your son was the one who dispatched He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named by some unknown ancient magic. Being mentor to the Child of Prophecy, it would be one helluva PR gambit to remain a relevant chess piece, even if he was to lose any and all political office."

"And how would he do that?"

"In order for that to work, you definitely need to be out of the picture. You said our dear professor was the one who created the Portkey to the Shrieking Shack? You would have to be particularly reckless when creating a Portkey to have one fail in the manner yours did. That or straight up malicious intent. Now he has to think of another way of disposing of you. This is where Eldritch Graves comes in. Dumbledore had a hand in his rise within the Aurors and DMLE, so of course he would owe him favors from time to time. And what better time for Dumbledore to cash one in?"

"Does that damn geezer think he could simply have me arrested…"

"No, just have Graves petition for termination of parental rights. This way he would have him take Harry away, saying something along the lines of you being an unfit mother, due to the use of excessive force around the child. I did see a scar on Harry's forehead, he'll definitely try to pin that one on you as well. If you want I can try to find a good magical solicitor to help you combat Dumbledore, but can get messy… The other option would be to disappear alongside your son… Maybe somewhere out of the country." Lily was trying to wrap her head around Evelyn's explanation. She was about to yawn when she felt the faint vibration of her bracelet.

'Lily' the Blade's voice chimed in 'You need to find yourself a place to rest for a while.'

'Worried about my health are you? Or do you wish me to grieve for my jailer?'

'There is one more step you must take before you can access my full power. That requires solitude. Request quarters for a couple days, until the process is finished.' Lily sighed.

'Fine,' she replied. Evie did not seem to notice the interruption in her friend's speech.

"Eeevieee, your geeenius is shoooowing," Lily said in a childish drawl and yawned. Evie chalked her reaction to the alcohol and exhaustion getting the better of her friend.

"And you are drunk… and after tonight's events, you must be dead tired."

"Hope you don't mind us crashing here for a couple of days." Lily's speech was still a little slurred, but no longer had that childish tone. "Until I figure out how to handle Dumbledore and the Ministry." Evelyn snapped her fingers.

"Dot, lead my friend to a guest room."

"Thank you, Dot," Lily said when the house elf led her to one of the smaller guest rooms. The little creature looked as though she was deeply offended.

"Do not thank, Dot lives to follow Mistress Evie's order," she replied and disappeared with a loud pop, to show her indignation.

'Note to self: never show her any gratitude,' the young mother muttered under her breath, as she took in her surroundings. The guest room was spartan at best, to put it mildly. The room had the bare basic amenities: a bed with a fluffy white duvet, a nightstand with a simple lamp, a single door wardrobe and a child-sized desk, nothing else.

'Evie, you and I need to have a talk about giving vague orders to the servants,' Lily mused angrily. She was standing right between the bed and the desk, when her mini rant was abruptly interrupted. Her knees gave way and the world faded out of view. A moment of darkness later, the room was replaced by the familiar gray fog of the mindscape. A few feet before her stood the avatar of the Witchblade, Jeanne, clad in her armored battle dress.

'For the love of … Jeanne, if, when I wake up, I see that I banged my head against anything, I swear I will pour battery acid on the gauntlet.'

'That would be unwise. If you intend to cause damage to my physical form, I am obliged to remind we share the same body, I can not guarantee your own physical well-being.'

'That would be going against your own vow to protect me, wouldn't it?' asked Lily, cocking her head to the left.

'If one truly desires to inflict damage upon oneself, I can not stop them. As I have promised you, I will not interfere with the freedom of your own body.'

'Hmmm… Can't really argue with that logic.'

'On the other side, battery acid will do little to nothing to the metal. One would need a far more potent concoction to damage the armor in this manner,' Jeanne continued, matter of factly. Her demeanor changed on a dime, from calm to what Lily could call battle ready. 'Time is short. Your trial is about to begin.'

'What trial? What needs to happen?'

'You need to face the spirits of previous wielders and pass whatever tests they have for you.'

The mindscape turned dark. Lily squinted, trying to see where her partner had disappeared. Not too far from her, she spotted armors gleaming in a cone of light. When she stepped towards it, she could hear the echoes of steps reverberating off the walls of what seemed a cave. Upon closer inspection, there were few pieces of armor still whole, most of it were pieces of torn leather and metal, scattered liberally on the floor.

From the shadows walked a figure dressed in white and grey armor, head uncovered, a sword on her hip, a spear in her right hand and a white shield on her left arm. The red gem of the witchblade was shining from her right vambrace. The figure looked directly at her, rose her spear high and planted it firmly into the ground.

"So you're Joan of Arc. The only other wielder, save for me." Joan acknowledged the compliment.

"This is the Periculum, a test devised to ascertain your worthiness to be granted full use of l'arme de la sorcière, the Witchblade's true power. A trial by fire, to be concluded in your victory or your death. Are you ready?" Lily let out a determined huff.

"Of course I am. I will not leave my son an orphan. Failure is not an option." The figure smiled. For a few tense seconds, the manifestation of Joan of Arc stood silent, looking at the woman in front of her. After what felt an eternity, she continued.

"Lily Evans-Potter, you have been chosen by this Witchblade. To WEAR it, to WIELD it, to SERVE it. Of all the women of your time, YOU." The words were like a ritual, and seemed to make the atmosphere feel more oppressive.

"It was locked away. It didn't seem she had much choice to me." As the figure before her raised an eyebrow, Lily felt like she was under the disapproving eye of her mother. "I do not understand, why ME. It's not like I am the first woman in the Potter family to enter the vault. There most likely would have been a dozen generations of mothers, daughters, wives of the Potter men who entered that same vault."

"A wielder's genesis is complex. She always arises when the dark forces reach a certain critical mass. The reverse is also true." Lily nodded in understanding.

"She appears when evil thrives, and the evil is drawn to the wielder? That explains a few things." The figure before her smiled once more, and resumed the ritual words.

"The blade arises to balance the darkness. It is not good or evil by your standards. You must answer questions now, not ask them. The Witchblade has initiated you. It has deemed you worthy of our examination. So answer well, and truly, for on your answers hangs your fate."

"Ask your questions then. I WILL NOT FAIL." Joan started to pace around the circle.

"In my time, my nation was suffering under the lash of a foreign army. Your sisters, chosen by the Prime, have chosen revolution, enslavement, genocide." Lily snorted.

"Genocide. Something my own nation has been experiencing recently." Taking the sword from its sheath, Joan pointed it at Lily.

"What is YOUR crisis, Chosen of the blade? What is your battlefield?" Lily pushed the sword away from her.

"My whole damned community. A power-hungry madman sought to exterminate those he deemed unworthy to live and thrive…"

"Symptoms. Name the disease, Chosen of the Blade. The root, the cause."

"You seem to misunderstand me, Jeanne," Lily retorted, with a lot more steel in her voice. "A good chunk of the British magical population has gone insane! They willingly and knowingly followed a racist… THING that actively encouraged them to assault, rape and murder anyone doesn't fit his worldview, be it witches and wizards who opposes him or even stooping as low as targeting children and non-magical folk, all supposedly to purify the gene pool. I may have ended the leader, but his idiocy will not disappear so easily. And that pursuit is utter madness and idiocy! They're driving our people to extinction and weakening themselves!"

"Well named. INSANE, from the latin insanus, unclean. YOU are the cleansing. You will make them clean, pure of heart again."

"The Witchblade couldn't help you fulfill YOUR mission, Jeanne. You were captured, tortured, and burned at the stake," Joan's smile was grim.

"That thrice-damned Gilbert Potter somehow warded my cell in such a way that both him and the priests could enter, but no violence could be visited upon me under any circumstance. He was the only one able to remove me from my cell. He at least had the courtesy to treat me with some chivalry." As silence enveloped the area, Lily walked a few steps closer to Joan, and put her hand on the other woman's shoulder.

"The witchblade failed you, How do I know it won't abandon me in my hour of need in the hands of my enemies?" Joan suddenly cuffed Lily, and raised the sword to strike her, and on Lily's wrist the gauntlet and sword blade formed, stopping the other woman's strike. Inches from the side of her neck.

"You don't look abandoned. And with a will such as yours, you will never be."

Joan faded from the cave, and Lily was alone. Then, another woman appeared in her place, the new apparition was dressed in a white cassock, bound with a band of a different fabric, and a black hood. Her head was lowered. As the newer apparition came closer, she raised her eyes, saw the gauntlet and her eyes widened.

"It appears the daughter of darkness has found herself a new host. The girl who used it before you did not know what she was getting into. I hope you do, young one." With those words, the apparition vanished.

Joan appeared once again, only without her weapons and armor. She was dressed in a simple white dress that fell to her ankles, her feet bare, her hair unbound.

"I suspect you feel that possessing this Witchblade will bring only death to those close to you. This is far from the truth." Joan spoke suddenly, and seeing Lily was lost for words, she sat on a breastplate a few feet from Lily. "What ARE you willing to sacrifice to achieve your destiny, Lily? Bringing sanity and purity of heart to your country is a worthy cause, but such pursuits must be handled with some degree of planning ahead. Are you ready to lay down your life on the line to achieve this goal?" the apparition of Joan asked, turning her head to the side, now looking as innocent as a child, rather than the warrior of light she appeared as the first time.

"To fulfill this destiny, I am," Lily replied, glaring at her, streaks of anger coloring her voice. "But I would rather not allow any child of mine to live his life an orphan, with that THING's filthy servants and Dumbledore's sycophants fighting over his father's money and political capital." Joan raised her head and fixed Lily with her gaze.

"ARE YOU WILLING OR NOT? Your life is not the only one on the line here. Should you fail, not only will the Witchblade probably disappear, but your contingencies for your son will probably be for naught as well.. The manipulative wretch will find a way to further his agenda, regardless of the law. He might as well run the entire country from the shadows. HE is the one you should be most wary of. No dragging your feet!" The silence stretched for a few more seconds.

"I am ready to lay down my life for the completion of my goal," Lily replied with a sigh, looking Joan straight in the eyes. "But I will do so, while being a mother to Harry and trying to lead him away from some of his father's more deplorable habits. I will utterly destroy the imbeciles peddling bigotry and racism. Is that a satisfactory answer to your question, shade?" Joan smiled and the space around them started to fade.

"Today, Lily Evans-Potter, you have become a true warrior. Walk with conviction in your truth. Lay your trust in the Witchblade, alongside your own powers. And when it provides guidance, lend your ear and follow."

"So, I've passed the test? I don't feel like any of my answers were that good. And I could see the disappointment welling on your face throughout our discussion."

"There are no correct answers to the riddles of the Periculum, only true ones. You said you are ready, and will protect your child just as fiercely as complete your mission. That was the true answer." Lily released the breath she did not know she was holding.

"Before you go, tell me how I can find more about the Witchblade."

"Giles. Once he learned of my burden, he got hold, through all possible means, of all the information available in our land. If his castle still stands, his secret library will still contain the books. Let me show you." Joan said as she took Lily's hand in her own.

A series of flashes. A man saying the name Tiffauges. A yew tree right next to a wall that did not seem part of anything bigger. Third brick from the left at chest height. The word _vindicta_. A stack of red books embossed with a symbol resembling a pair of inverted wings.

-section break-

Lily awoke with a groan. All her muscles were aching and she had quite a crick in her neck, not to mention she felt extremely hot and stuffy. Surprisingly, she was in bed, under the covers, not on the floor. She removed the duvet and felt a welcomed chill coming from the partially open window. The night's ordeals left her sweaty.

After washing up in the basin on the dresser, she changed into the fresh clothes, set aside by the elves. A quiet pop drew her attention, but when she turned around, there was no one there. Less than a minute later, Evelyn walked in with a stroller. Lily came closer and what she saw brought a smile to her face: a blue-eyed, blonde baby who could only be Evelyn's daughter was hugging a sleeping Harry, and her baby boy looked quite happy with the contact his fellow toddler was maintaining.

"You put them together from the start, Evie?" Lily asked, still smiling.

"No," the woman replied, shaking her head."He woke up after a while, didn't see you there and started calling for you. Since you couldn't be awakened, our nanny elf put them together. My Daphne decided to hug Harry, and they've been like that ever since."

"How long was I…. indisposed?" Lily asked with a little apprehension.

"Just the night. It's Hallowmas morning, November 1st."

Lily sighed. She felt conflicted. She felt that looking for Gilles de Rais' books on Witchblades was the best plan for now, but she was at a loss as to what to do with Harry. On one hand, she knew taking him along would allow her to keep a close eye on her son. On the other, she didn't know what traps the Frenchman had lain to protect his lair. And she definitely knew she couldn't leave Harry with Sirius. The Marauder might have been the boy's godfather, but he had no clue how to take proper care of a toddler. Not to mention, he would be susceptible to Dumbledore's emotional blackmail. No, she knew she could not leave Sirius alone with Harry any time soon. With a sigh, she looked to Evelyn.

"Evie, I need your help yet again."

"You already know you need only ask."

"I need to go to France, to follow the trail of some books on my… tennant. I would take Harry with me, but I doubt it would be in his best interest, since I would not be giving him the attention he deserves. Also, I have no idea what we would be up against."

"He can stay here with my Daphne. The nanny elves will mind him while you are away."

"What about your husband? Wouldn't he object to you making these decisions without consulting him?" Evelyn laughed in a malicious way.

"You forget one thing, my dear. I rule this house. I am Greengrass by blood, he married into the family. He can only make financial decisions. The entire household, as well as the Wizengamot seat are mine by rights," Evelyn said, matter of factly. "Actually, I don't have any intention of telling him you were here, nor that Harry will stay here while you are away."

"Best idea I heard recently. Should I call one of your elves to let you know when I am done with my business?"

"Call for Dot. I'll let her know she is allowed to respond to your call."

"Thank you, Evie. Now, all I have to do is get to France without going through the normal channels."

"Leave that to me, Lily. I have the perfect solution in mind," Evelyn replied, with a smirk.


	8. Chapter six-and-a-half

**Chapterlette: Inheritance**

 **N : It has come to our attention that we forgot to place a particular notification in the Prologue….. here it comes: The Professor Dumbledore in the prologue is not Albus. Tom had a forbear of Albus-too-many-surnames-Dumbledore be present in that situation. I'm honestly too lazy to repost the prolgue with the notice. Might do that when this story arc is over.**

 **Now, anyone wishing to check the age of the character Amelia Bones(the head of the DMLE until the summer of 1996) online, there is a problem with the article on the harry potter wikia(dunno about pottermore). Namely it lists the date of birth of her niece Susan as hers. Given the ages of most of the department heads in cannon, she will be 23 in this story arc. Becoming department head in your 30s is not uncharacteristic for a competent individual. My personal opinion regarding her age would be that she was at least 35 when Harry was forced to defend himself in front of the entire wizengamot for using magic in self defense.**

 **Regardless, this is a small transition to the events happening between the first and fourth of November 1981. The next 2 chapters will cover the period mentioned: chapter 7 will be Lily-centric and will introduce one of the major OCs; chapter 8 will observe Sirius, Remus, Alastor Moody and Frank Longbottom.**

 **Disclaimer still applies. And always will :3**

 **Enjoy, and feel free to locate the 2 easter eggs**

 _November 1st 1981, Diagon Alley_

As the clock tower in Diagon Alley chimed half past nine, Minerva McGonagall approached Gringotts with a heavy heart. Her most promising student, the person she thought would take over from her as the Hogwarts Transfiguration Master, had fallen against the most feared madman of the century. The fact said madman had fallen soon after was little consolation. Lily Evans-Potter was missing, her son as well.

She read in an interview for the Daily Prophet this morning that the head of Auror team who had investigated the crime scene stated that any attempt to track any survivors to the horrific events that unfolded in the Potter house would be nigh on impossible by the ward residues and the sheer amount of magical power exerted within such a confined space. They went on to say that any magic trace being distorted beyond recognition, so they could only rely on the physical evidence. Even with a Sniffer, it would most likely take weeks before they can say if there were any survivors.

Her musings were cut short as the doors of the bank loomed in front of her. Standing guard there was a man in a black uniform with the gilded Gringotts coat of arms on a band on his arm. It seemed last night's events shook even the imperturbable Goblins into boosting their already formidable security protocols. She felt a slight shift in the air

"Hold!" the guard said, holding up his arm. He was in his early 20's, McGonagall saw.

"Good morning, Mr. Tibbs," she replied, as she recognized her former student.

"I am sorry, Professor. I have to confirm you are not an impostor. The shift you just felt will keep your answers truthful."

"A wise precaution," McGonagall smiled. "Proceed."

"Are you Minerva McGonagall, Professor of Transfiguration at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, Head of the Gryffindor house?" McGonagall felt a tingle wash over her.

"Yes."

"Did you consume any Polyjuice potion before attending today's proceedings?"

"No."

"Are you under the control of the Imperius Charm?"

"No."

"Why was I in trouble at the beginning of my sixth year?" Tibbs asked with a sly smile.

"You mean the enchanted comb that made such a ruckus in the girls dormitory? You nearly started a riot, the poor ladies were torn between loving its effects and notifying me of the intrusion."

"It only changed the color and shape of their hair, to fit their mood. How was I supposed to know it would rearrange it in the shape of horns? Or that it would catch on so quickly?"

"You trespassed into the Girls Dormitory. Not to mention, the few girls that did try it, had to spend the week in the hospital ward to have their… hair let down." Tibbs was in tears, laughing.

"That is all the proof I need. You may enter, Professor," he said as he regained his composure and opened the bank's door for her. Inside and to one side she saw Augusta Longbottom talking with Alastor Moody and his newest Auror protégé, Amelia Bones, and made for them.

"Hello, Professor," Moody greeted her as she got close.

"Alastor, Augusta," Minerva nodded. "Glad to see you in such good company, Ms. Bones."

"Just following your advice to always learn from the best, Professor," Amelia's tone was a professional one, but Minerva could see her former student was

"She started shadowing me as soon as she was assigned to the Department," Moody said with a growl. "I told her I don't work with partners, Merlin knows I lost more than my share. But, she can hold her own in a battle, and she did save my hide once or twice," he admitted with a sigh.

"I thought you wanted to be on the Wizengamot, Ms. Bones," said Minerva, looking quizzical.

"I figured added field experience with the best the Department of Magical Law Enforcement can offer would be more than suitable when the moment comes."

Before any of them could reply, they were interrupted by a goblin in formal garb, clearing his throat.

"Time for the Reading is fast approaching. Lady Longbottom, will your son be joining us for these proceedings?" the goblin inquired with more reverence than they were accustomed to.

"No, I am afraid he will not." Augusta replied, lowering her eyes. "Considering the threats to his and his family's life, I asked him to stay where he is for a week longer. He did, however, provide me with a letter of empowerment, granting me permission to accept anything left to House Longbottom on his behalf," she said, pulling a folded piece parchment and handing it to the goblin. It took the missive. After perusing the contents briefly, waved his hand over the signature, nodded and handed it back, motioning the group to follow him. They were lead in a medium sized meeting room, where they were seated in ornate comfortable chairs.

The goblin opened his mouth to speak, when the door opened once more, and young clerk from the blank floor entered, closely followed by Albus Dumbledore. The older goblin looked annoyed.

"Junior clerk Griphook. What is the meaning of this? Why are you away from your post, And accompanied by someone who is not supposed to be here?" The younger goblin looked scared.

"Account Master Xanthos, this human demanded to be escorted to the meeting, saying he has critical information that needs to be presented before the will is unsealed. Nobody else was available, so I asked for permission to show him here."

"Albus Dumbledore has not been summoned. You may lead him out," Xan said, in a monotonous voice, and turned to the assembled group.

"If I may, Account Manager Xanthos," Dumbledore replied. He walked towards the desk and produced a small scroll. "I have with me an official order from the Wizengamot to seal the Potter Will and claim guardianship of young Harry. There will be no reading today." The group looked outraged and was about to start protesting the news, but, before they could do that, the Account Manager snapped his fingers and the amplified sound put an end to the muttering. He removed his glasses, cleared his throat and interlaced his long bony fingers.

"Mr. Dumbledore, as you are aware, relations between Goblins and Wizards are regulated by the Treaty of 1612. As per its stipulations, while Gringotts Wizarding Bank is required to assist the Wizengamot and the Ministry representatives in any matters related to magical law enforcement, this prestigious institution retains its autonomy in all other concerns, including all the financial dealings and notary services provided. Unless your scroll provides credible proof that the contents of James Potter's Last Will and Testament is a matter of interest for the Wizengamot, you would do well to respect our autonomy." Dumbledore visibly bristled at the way he was schooled, and in a matter of law, no less. He quickly regained his composure.

"I can offer proof of potential tampering," he replied with his all knowing smile back on his lips. "Should the document you are about to read have been the true Will, I should have been notified, as I was both designated as the executor and also signed on as a witness. My absence and subsequent dismissal from these proceedings would clearly be against the departed's wishes. On that alone, we can conclude that the will might have been tampered. While Tom Riddle is dead, he still has quite a large following. I am here in my official capacity as Chief Warlock, to prevent the Potter fortune and estate to fall into the wrong hands. This Will needs to be sealed until we can confirm it has not been tampered with." Should he have been anything else other than a seasoned Goblin, Xan would have faked shock and outrage. However, he was too seasoned for that.

"Your so called proof is circumstantial at best and it brings an affront to Gringotts. I will keep this short. This, indeed, is an updated version of the Will, rectified at James Potter's request, just 4 days before his passing. However, the possibility of him being under unwanted influences while modifying the document is non-existent."

"How can you guarantee that?" Dumbledore asked, scowling. The audience noticed that the goblin's patience was being put to the test. Still, Xan laughed. The sound seemed to unnerve the entire group.

"Because, Mr. Dumbledore," Xan replied, stressing every syllable of the other man's name, "I was the one who redacted the updated version. This office is warded against any magical coercion and influencing methods. Should you continue your interference in these proceedings, you question my professionalism and that of this institution, to which I take great offense." It was the goblin's turn to smile. "You are here without your trappings of the office of the Chief Warlock. As such, in these halls, at this moment in time, you are not Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Order of Merlin First Class, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. You are Albus Dumbledore, son of Percival Dumbledore, employed at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In that position, you do not have the authority to stop this will reading. You have been unable to stop it as of half past nine October 31st. According to your own laws, the moment these ladies and gentlemen received their copies, the governing bodies of Wizarding Britain forfeit their right to seal any will pertaining to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter." Dumbledore saw no way to counter this argument.

"What of the matter of the guardianship over young Harry James Potter?"

"If I may intervene, Account Master, Professor." It was Amelia Bones who spoke up.

"Yes, Ms. Bones?" Xan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Matters of guardianship do not fall under Gringotts' jurisdiction, correct?"

"Correct."

"In the case of one parent's death, full guardianship and custody rights are automatically awarded to the surviving parent."

"Indeed, Ms. Bones," Dumbledore said, with his usual twinkle in his eyes. "However, Lily Potter is nowhere to be found. I believe she has fallen at the hand of Lord Voldemort."

"In which case, custody would, by default, fall upon the next of kin."

"That is exactly what I am trying to ensure. After having the child submitted to a thorough checkup at St. Mungo's, I wish to see him safe with his mother's sister."

"Here is where the complication arises. Regardless of us having sufficient proof of the Lily Potter being alive or dead, Harry himself is missing. If we were to go by gut feeling alone, how can we be certain that Mrs. Potter died, while the child survived?"

"Well…" Dumbledore was at a loss for words. "The wards…"

"If I am to believe my colleagues that investigated the crime scene, the wards can not tell us anything about the child's current well-being," Amelia replied. "And, don't you find it odd that you are currently petitioning for a missing child's guardianship? One could surmise you are after the Potter wealth."

"Quick witted as always," Dumbledore smiled, but the smile looked strained.

"Regardless, should the child still be alive, the matter of his guardianship over an underage sole survivor of an Ancient and Noble House, would not be of any concern of the Wizengamot, but of the head of the House most closely related to said survivor."

"Now that we have exhausted all potential reasons for your presence, Professor," Xan intervened once again, "I kindly urge you to depart. I am sure you are needed back at Hogwarts, to reassure the students when their parents read the morning edition of the Daily Prophet. As far as these proceedings go," he said in a no-nonsense voice, "only those summoned are allowed to remain, as per Lord Potter's express wishes." Account Manager Xanthos then turned his back on the Professor and faced the people seated before his desk.

"Indeed," Dumbledore said in a pointed way. "We _must_ respect a dead man's last wishes," he said in a thinly-veiled mocking tone and walked out the door, almost slamming it behind him, sending the papers and scrolls on the goblin's desk flying. The sound of his footsteps resounded along the corridor, drowning out anything else. The gathered group was staring in awe at the goblin who managed to outplay the self styled Leader of the Light in the field of politics.

"How rude," Mrs. Longbottom stated, moments after the echoes in the corridor died out.

"That man can't bear not having the last word," Moody replied.

"That's the understatement of a lifetime," Minerva said, rolling her eyes. "Even at Hogwarts, the man has to micromanage everything. Amelia, dear, please don't tell him I told you that. I still have to work with that insufferable so-and-so " Before she could finish the sentence, she was interrupted by the Account Master clearing his throat yet again, this time to quiet them down.

"Moving on," Xan said. "Ladies and gentlemen, I wish to thank you for your presence here today. I apologize for gathering you on such short notice, but it was Lord Potter's express request to have the Reading within 12 hours of his demise." The gathered group was still silent, as the goblin rearranged the papers on his desk.

Xanthos opened the desk drawer and pulled out a gold tip quill and a scroll, which he set aside on his desk. He then spent a couple more seconds checking the order of the papers and scrolls. A short while after, at the goblin's nod, the quill stood on its tip.

"This Write-All Quill will record the proceedings for the Gringotts' Archives. Now, let us begin," the goblin said, a slight reverberation in his voice. "The Reading is taking place in the presence of the following witnesses: Mrs. Augusta Longbottom, representing Frank and Alice Longbottom, who could not be present today, Professor Minerva McGonagall, Master Auror Alastor Moody and Ms. Amelia Bones, as named parties on behalf of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The missing parties, Lily Evans-Potter, wife of Lord James Potter, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, will be formally notified of their bequeathments, as well as presented with a transcript of the proceedings, at a later date. Are there any questions so far?"

"Excuse me, Account Master," Amelia Bones spoke up after a moment of silence, "but there must be some mistake. I was not close in any way to Lord Potter. To my knowledge, neither is Master Auror Moody." Xanthos smiled.

"Ms. Bones, you and Master Auror Moody have been summoned here to act as witnesses to a certain part of the Reading. Lord Potter had requested your presence on the basis of your professional and personal ethics. At the conclusion of the proceedings, you will be given full copies of the Will to present to your Director as evidence of certain facts. Does that settle your doubts?" Amelia Bones nodded and sat back down.

"I will now read the Last Will and Testament of Lord James Potter of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter. If, at any time you have any questions, I will answer them after the relevant sections have been read." He took one more look around the room and started reading.

" _I, James Potter, being of sound mind and body, hereby declare this to be the final version of my last will and testament, all previous versions being null and void._

 _If you are reading this version, it means I have died before Lord Moldyshorts is defeated and before I could change it to a normal, boring old-age-me version._

 _Considering the violent events that probably led to my death, I have requested that Alastor Moody and Amelia Bones be present. Their moral fiber is renowned throughout the Ministry. To them I leave the definitive proof on the identity of the person who betrayed me and my family."_ Xan then produced a separate envelope and a small wooden box. _"I recommend disclosing the contents of the letter and the box that accompanies it as soon as possible, to prevent the wrong people falling prey to the politics that will surely follow my untimely death."_

Moody stood up and signed for the possession of the letter and the box. He then eyed his companion.

"Should we open them right now?" he asked.

"I think it would be best," Amelia replied. "Mrs Longbottom can inform her son, Mr. Potter's friends will receive the transcript. Not to mention, the Bank will have a copy stored." Moody nodded.

"Good thinking, lass," he said with his usual growl in his voice, as broke the seal on the envelope and took the letter out. He quickly skimmed the short text on the piece of paper included. He then cleared his throat and repeated the contents to the rest of the audience.

' _If I died on the premises of my home in Godric's Hollow, which was protected by the Fidelius charm, that means that the Secret Keeper,_ _ **Peter Pettigrew**_ _,'_ the name written in bold, _'was either caught by the Dark Lord's minions and forced to talk, or, as Lily believes, willingly sold us to, and I quote, "the noseless wanker." Her words, not mine. Lily was the one who had cast the Fidelius charm and she, as well as anyone who has met Peter, can attest to his weak will and strong self preservation instinct. Included alongside this letter is the memory of the moment the Fidelius charm was cast. I am sure the Department of Mysteries can confirm it has not been tampered with, and that I was in my full mental capacity when witnessing it.'_

"Of course," Amelia intervened. "Everybody would have suspected Sirius Black to be Potter's Secret Keeper." Moody opened the black box and pulled out a tiny sealed vial with a silvery, half liquid, half gassy, substance.

"Right, better get this validated as soon as possible. I knew Potter would cover all the bases, but it was a smart choice naming us and not Barty Crouch," Moody replied, with a growl and a crooked smile. "And I suspect young Ms. Bones is of the same mind." Amelia nodded, but said nothing. Xanthos gave the Aurors in the room a pointed look.

"I am sure this clears the matter of Mr Black's innocence out," the goblin said. "I will make sure this is recorded in our Archives. If you wish to retire, you may do so now. If not, I would recommend patience, while we go through the rest of Lord's Potter Will." Moody sat back down.

" _To Professor Minerva McGonagall, I leave the Potter prized collection of Transfiguration tomes, books and scrolls, to copy and return upon Harry's coming-of-age. I know she would put the knowledge to good use and all I request that she makes sure they find their way back to the Potter Manor._

 _Time to spread some love._

 _To my good friend and partner Frank Longbottom, I leave the burden of acting as proxy for the Potter seat in the Chamber of Absolute Boredom, a.k.a. the Wizengamot Chambers. Even if she ever wished to take my place, Lily isn't trained for it, and the fogeys will never accept her being sworn in. Should she want to seat in any of the meetings, please make sure you aid her to the best of your abilities. You are to train my son alongside your own to take his place among the useless geezers that populate that foul place. May they all suffer heart attacks at the same damn time. If Frank is unable to_ _fulfill_ _this role, the duty falls to his Mother, Lady Augusta Longbottom. She will make the boys an even bigger thorn in the sides of the members of the various cliques of the Chamber of Absolute Boredom."_ The assembled audience except for Lady Longbottom were sniggering.

" _To my friend Remus John Lupin, I leave a 1500 Galleon per month stipend. I could literally care less if you like it or not, Moony, you will take the money. Even if the goblins have to hunt you down every month only to glue the money bag to your hand by force. Should they not be able to find you,_ _try to_ _remember, they know your vault number."_ This made everyone, including the sulking Lady Longbottom, snigger even harder.

" _To my brother-of-the-heart Sirius Orion Black, I leave a permanent room at Potter Manor, eighty thousand Galleons, to be set aside in case of emergency, and my Muggle pornographic magazine collection. To those who don't like that, tough cookies. It's my collection, and it needs to go to a good home. I'm sure Lily won't be very happy with you getting my collection, nor with you living at Potter Manor, as you may prove a 'Bad influence on the poor child', but your Muggle residence is a disgrace to the very notion of a proper home._

 _My wife, Lily Evans-Potter, is to be named Regent of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter, until our son comes of age. To her, I leave a stipend of 2000 Galleon per month, an account in her maiden name with her share of her parents estate, which should have been set aside in the first place, plus the appropriate interest that should have gathered in the meantime. It is my hope that our son takes after her_ _in the coming years_ _, because I doubt the world is ready for another me._

 _As for the guardianship of my son and heir, Lily, if she survives me, will have full custody. The boy's_ _ **sworn**_ _godfather, Sirius Black, is hereby bound to provide support in case my wife finds herself in the impossibility of exercising her maternal rights and responsibilities."_ Xanthos emphasized the word 'sworn', giving Moody a pointed look. "Any questions, Auror?

"If the letter and memory prove to be authentic," Moody growled "I will personally make sure Mr. Black will encounter no resistance from the Department in fulfilling Lord Potter's request."

" _If the two cannot fulfill this duty, Frank and Alice Longbottom are the best choice, as they both share the joy of parenthood, as well as the burden of a life in Magical Law Enforcement. If they are unable, custody of my son is to go to Remus Lupin, irrespective of anything anyone has to say. These guardianship options are not negotiable._

 _In the unlikely situation in which none of these people will not be able to assume custody, Account Master Xanthos Goldpan is instructed to have all of the holdings and assets of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter be frozen until my son comes of age._

 _Signed: James Potter_

 _Date: October 30th 1981_

 _Witnesses: Account Master Xanthos Goldpan on behalf of Gringotts Bank, Lily Evans Potter, Curse Breaker Jake Muller, Wardsmith Elias Carstairs"_

Xan set the papers aside and folded his fingers. Silence reigned over the meeting room. The Account Manager pulled a roll from one of his desk's drawers.

"This concludes the reading of Lord Potter's will. If you would, please step up to the desk to sign that you have formally taken note of your bequeathments and the instructions attached to them," said the goblin and motioned for those assembled to sign. With the sound of chair legs scraping against the stone floor, everyone except for Xanthos got up, and made their way to the head of the table.

"Madam Longbottom, may I bother you to let Mr Lupin know to come in to talk to me about his bequeathments?" Lady Longbottom nodded and made to leave.

Xanthos pulled from the same drawer a couple of rolls of parchment bearing the seal of Gringotts Bank, and handed them to the two Aurors.

"As promised, these are copies of the document we just read. They are sealed, to insure their contents are not put under suspicion. Have your Director open them and show him the letter and memory already in your possession. Good day, Master Auror Moody, Ms. Bones. May your endeavors be fruitful."

Alastor Moody walked into the Auror Office with Amelia hot on his heels, and nodded to the Director's secretary, before walking into the office beyond.

"Director Crouch, the goblins of Gringotts have provided us with copies of Auror Potter's Last Will and Testament." Moody growled and coughed.

"We have been given a letter disclosing the identity of their Secret Keeper, as well as a memory of the moment the Fidelius charm was cast," Amelia stepped in. "Both would need authenticating, however, both do shed a new light on last night's events."

"We are willing to testify under truth serum to the veracity of the information contained within the Will."

Bartemius Crouch motioned for Moody to pass him the scroll. He raised a questioning eyebrow at the seal, but broke it without giving it any thought. As he read, his eyebrows rose quite a bit.

"This changes everything. And gets Dumbledore off my back in regards to last night."

Moody released a breath he did not realize he was holding. Crouch placed the scroll in a folder marked 'Potter investigation' and motioned for Moody to sit, and for Amelia to leave the office.

"Auror Moody, take two Aurors of your choice and report to Crocker in the DoM. We have a lead on Evan Rosier, suspected Death Eater. I want him in chains. And, Alastor, try to keep him at least breathing this time around. We need testimonies, if we are to catch all of those bastard's cronies. If that can't be done, Rosier on a slab in the morgue will be just as good. Dismissed, and happy hunting."


	9. Chapter 7 - Rain of blood

**A.N: Tom/ManiacLot: Howdy folks. Long time no see. Sorry for the delay, but as you are about to see, this is a Loooooohooohohooooohong chapter. The first draft took roughly 20-25 pages and we ended up with double that.**

 **I have to apologise for not moving a bit faster, but. I do have an excuse. I have my own original writing to consider. In other words, I am writing my own stuff. And yes, my co-author does allow me to plug it here.**

 **I have a page for it**

 **AKnightsDarkTale**

 **And the latest chapter (written out of chronological order) is the one just below**

 **.**

 **Now, to fry some other bigger fish…. This chapter is a 25k word monstrosity. I'd rather not split it into 2 or 3 smaller chapters. Number 8 might reach a similar word count. There will be no review answers yet, because, despite my extremely badly disguised strategy of using easter eggs, the number remains small. sigh T-T**

 **Now, on to our regularly scheduled mayhem… i mean story…**

 **P.S :Disclaimer still applies**

 **Chapter 7: Rain of blood**

 _Some may call it a curse, a life like mine. But others, a blessing. It's certainly a lonely life, but a fulfilling one at best. It's my cross to bear and I'll bear it gladly. Someone has to take a stand [...], why should it not be me?_

 _Unknown location, November 1st 1981, 2:00 AM_

Lightning flashed in the distance. Pain shot through the metacarpals of his right hand. The glass he held in his hand fell and shattered, spilling the aged bourbon on the carpet. He writhed in agony for what seemed like hours, the scar on the back of his hand throbbing all the way through. When the agony finally abated, he remained on the floor, breathing heavily. A moment later, he got up. There was no time to waste. He hurriedly made his way through the far end of the mansion and stopped in front of a door he hadn't opened in years. With a still shaking hand, he unlocked the door and stepped into the room.

The reinforced glass of the display case was covered in deep scratches. At a first inspection, the man could see that only the inside of the glass was damaged. The item on display, a gauntlet adorned with a red gem, was lying crooked on its pillow, its index finger still clinging to one of the scratches. Upon a closer look, he saw the gauntlet had written something. The scratches formed three sets, each in a different script.

"Britannia…" the man said as he inspected the first set, written in Roman Script. "What could have gotten your attention all the way out there? I wonder…" The second set was written in Greek. "Devourer? Your excitement has piqued my interest." The last set of scratches was one most peculiar. "Sanskrit? I don't remember you ever getting your hands on anyone from that part of the world. An… Abomination, is it? What are you trying to tell me?" the man asked, as he traced a finger on the other side of the third set of scratches. That word was definitely unsettling. His musings were cut short by a voice.

"Mr Irons, is there something wrong?"

"Nothing to be too concerned about," Kenneth Irons replied, with a smile. "She has sensed something. And is VERY afraid."

 _Morning of November 1st 1981, Greengrass manor._

"So, why exactly do you want to go to France? What are you looking for there?" Evelyn asked. Lily sighed, rubbing the wrist right underneath the Witchblade, where, ever since the Periculum, two small puncture wounds had appeared. Even though they were almost healed, they were still a bit sore.

"I am hoping to get my hands on a particularly rare set of books," she answered. "According to my… source, for lack of better words, these books apparently hold untold knowledge of Witchblades, detailing their history and powers, even covering their drawbacks. And, it might just contain a way to remove the damned thing safely. " Evelyn raised an eyebrow.

"Such books would be a boon," she said, setting her teacup down on the table. "That is assuming the French Bureau de la Magie hasn't got their grubby mitts on them in the last couple of centuries and conveniently forgot to share the news with their British counterparts. Even so, the place might have been looted ages ago." Lily sighed, and rubbed at her eyes.

"A reasonable assumption, Evie. but that doesn't mean I don't have to at least try. All I can do is hope everything is still there, safely stowed away from prying eyes." She took a sip from her own tea cup. "Given the last owner, the possibility is pretty damn high. Though I wonder why these books would be emblazoned with inverted wings." Evelyn stiffened.

"Did your source, by any chance, happen to say if these books were bound in red leather?" she asked, quietly. "Or if the inverted wings had stylised feathers?"

"Actually yes… they look exactly as you've said." Lily's eyes widened as a thought popped into her head. "Don't tell me you have them in your family library." With trembling hands, Evelyn picked up her teacup.

"I wish. I know how the books look, because the Department has been searching for them. The Cainite Grimoires are infamous. It is said the spells, recipes and rituals it contains can break the very fabric of existence. Not to mention their unique enchantments prevent anybody from copying them in any way."

"Cainite? As in the son of Adam and Eve and the Father of Murder, Cain?" Lily asked. Her naiveté made Evelyn's laugh, which was enough to break the tension.

"No, Lil. Caine, spelled C-A-I-N-E, a name adapted from Sumerian, was a necromancer that supposedly lived during the reign of High King Gilgamesh of Uruk. He researched the most powerful magical items and artefacts of his time, as well as the lore associated with them, and documented everything he could about them in books of bound parchment supposedly made of human skin and written in blood. Grimoires. It is said the runes it is written in are enchanted to be seen and easily understood only by its wielder." Lily looked impressed and shocked at the same time.

"If you ignore the materials they're made of, sounds like pretty powerful stuff."

"You don't know the half of it. The initial collection left by Caine had 7 volumes. One of the legends associated with the Grimoires is that each volume rests in a semi-conscious state. If it senses it is in the presence of new knowledge, powerful enough for Caine to deem worthy of recording it, it does just that. How, no one knows. In more modern terms, it is an ever expanding encyclopedia of the most powerful magics ever in existence."

"No wonder the Department is interested in this."

"Moreover, it is said that, upon gathering all the books collection in the same place, it would unlock a most powerful and ancient magic. No one knows exactly what that is, the legends are… less than specific at best. Dark wizards and witches, legitimate collectors and black market dealers, cults, as well as pretty much every ministry of magic in the world would give anything to acquire them by any means necessary. Even our own Director, Mr Crocker, is offering fifty thousand Galleons per genuine volume. No questions asked. The Department wishes to study these writings." Lily whistled.

"A quarter of a million Pounds per volume. The Department is desperate alright. I am not turning in any volume that contains information on the Witchblades. I'd rather burn it."

"Here's another fun fact for you, Lily. The books are indestructible. Caine made sure his work didn't go to waste," Evelyn said with a smirk, laying the empty teacup down on the table. Lily blinked. She stood up and went to one of the windows. She wasn't looking for anything in particular, rather she was trying to process what her friend just told her. A soft chime snapped her from her reverie. Her Witchblade sought her attention.

'So, Jeanne, what is your opinion about this?' Lily asked.

'If your friend is correct,' Jeanne said, 'these books are, most likely, the creation of my Father or one of my Mother's worshippers. If they indeed have had any part in their making, then the resulting works would be impervious to virtually everything, save for their combined power.'

'Scary thought, your parents. The way you mention them, they sound godlike.'

'One might say that about me, or rather us as well.' Sensing Lily's confusion with that statement, Jeanne continued. 'As you can imagine, you passing the trial allows us to fully attune to each other. You have full access to all abilities that I already possess and I am able to learn new ones while I am bound to you, all you need is observe it. Now you can demand of me to create so much more than tendrils and sword blades.'

'Like steel-tipped bone wings? Or a chainsaw sword?'

'As long as it is within reason, if you can imagine it, I will do my best to replicate it to the smallest detail,' Jeanne replied, exasperated with her human partner. 'However, I would refrain from any construct that would prove… world breaking. I am sure nobody wants us to cleave the world in half or to end up vaporizing the British Isles.'

'What I'd love most would be not to lose my clothes every damn time I call on more armor than the basic gauntlet.'

'That too is now achievable. Up until now, you called the armor on instinct alone. With some application of will, it can be formed on top of your clothes.'

'What about wandless magic, using the gauntlet as a conduit? It could prove a huge advantage both in battle and in the Department's infirmary.' The voice of the avatar sounded smug.

'Who says you can't? Will and imagination many not be enough for it to work, but you could apply yourself to developing the channel between your own magic and the gauntlet.'

Lily was reeled back to reality by the feeling someone was touching her hand. As she focused on the physical world, she saw that Evelyn had moved her chair to be next to her own.

"Are you OK, Lil? You looked a million miles away,"

"Sorry, Evie. I was just… thinking about something."

"If it is related to how you are going to get to France, without anyone noticing you, don't worry, I have that covered." Letting go of her hand, Evelyn handed her an envelope she did not have mere seconds ago.

"What is this?"

"Travel papers for a certain Jane Darcy, valued employee at Greengrass Imports. Jane is part of a team that is to go to a certain town 20 miles from Tiffauges to pick up a shipment of Bordeaux wine and Brie cheese." Lily raised a hand, interrupting her friend.

"Correct me if I am wrong, but Tiffauges is a lot farther from both Bordeaux and Brie."

"According to the papers Greengrass Imports will submit with the Ministry, our team is to liaise with our French partners, who handle all the acquisitions on their end. And, let's face it, they may be snobs, but Edward Parkinson and Lucius Malfoy love their fancy wines and stinky cheeses. Doubt they'll care too much where in France you'll go, as long as you bring them something good."

"What about the real Jane?" Lily asked with some apprehension. Evelyn's smirk returned.

"Well, our friend Jane hasn't been employed with Greengrass Imports for long, according to the records, but she has proven her worth already. She is a scout of sorts, looking for lucrative opportunities, and is paid a finder's fee depending on the revenue generated by her involvement." Lily looked bewildered. "Dear Merlin, you can be thick at times," Evelyn said, scoffing. "YOU, my dear, are the real Jane."

"So she exists on the books only because you need to have someone extra, that gets paid infrequently, so no one needs to investigate what she does to justify her salary. Evie, your genius is still showing."

"Yes, well… What can I say….. I AM a genius." the older woman replied. With a snap of her fingers, her empty cup of tea was replaced by a different cup, this one filled with black strong coffee.

As they set in absolute silence, Evelyn slowly drinking her coffee, Lily was trying to put together a plan on how she could get to the books as fast as possible. So deep was her contemplation that she almost didn't catch her friend trying to ask something.

"...money do you have, Lily?"

"I'm sorry, Evie. You were saying?"

"How much money do you have on you now Lily?" the older woman asked with a little less patience than before.

"Barely anything. I have a space expanded bag of cut gems I planned to use to get out of the country with James before I got my wake up call. I never took it out of the secret pocket of my cloak. Come to think about it, I never even told James I took them, or asked him to leave the country like I originally intended that day."

"Let me see. I was looking for some gems to make a new set of earrings. Probably one for Daphne to have in the future. I'll send Dot to my Account Manager."

-section break-

"Evie, did you drink milk from a rusty bucket? Or did Dot spike your coffee in any way? This is way too much money," Lily said with some apprehension as she eyed the miniature mountain of various denominations in front of her.

"What can I say, Lily?" Evie replied with a smirk. "The Potters had in their vault some of the best gems I've seen since my grandmother's set. My Account Manager had them appraised at a grand total of twenty-five thousand Galleons. I got you half of them in a chaotic mixture of Pounds and French Francs. Merlin knows you're going to need them."

"Why is that?" Lily asked.

"Given recent events, I figure it would be best to have it handled the Muggle way, do as little magic as possible. I am sure both the Ministry as well as You-Know-Who's remaining followers are still looking for you. A Portkey will not register any magical signatures of the people it transports, but what you do once you get there is definitely traceable, if they know what to look for. The fewer spells you cast, the lower the chances of having anyone detect you."

"Point taken. How do you advise I do that?"

"Do I have to spell it? You're Muggle raised for Merlin and Morgana's sake! Use the money. You'll need transportation, room and board and some clothing to fit in. You know, minimal creature comforts. I would recommend you acquire train tickets on the Muggle railways, preferably the TGV, to avoid detection, definitely no brooms or Apparition. I doubt that where you're going, there's a Floo Network exit point, so no worries about that. Also, I suggest you find room and board in a non-magical establishment, a few changes of clothes, preferably second hand, definitely not this year's fashion."

"By the way you have it all figured out, Evie, some could say you were the Muggle-born on the run, not me."

"I read a lot in my spare time," Evelyn replied, the smirk still present. "Now, you know me, I don't necessarily approve of bribery, but I have found out that, if you grease the correct palms, Muggles would be more than willing to open some doors easier or look the other way if you find yourself in a tight spot. " Lily sighed, rubbing her eyes.

"Fine," she replied. "Have your Account Manager put the other half in Vault 687. By the way, how much time does my Jane Darcy cover last on this occasion?"

"You need to be at the portkey location before sunset on November 4th. The shipment will be delivered to our team sometime that day and we must deliver the goods sometime before noon on the 5th."

"So I have less than three days to chase my lead and possibly retrieve what I need, all while trying to not be detected by both sides. No pressure what-so-friggin-ever," Lily said, rolling her eyes. "Tell you what: lend me an expanded purse for the money, while I throw on a glamour and take a shopping trip into Harrods to stock up."

"Or you can buy some rugged backpacker gear at a cheaper camping store." Lily grinned.

"Or that."

-section break-

 _November 2nd_

Next day, Evelyn Greengrass walked in the office of her family's import business. Which was a surprise for all of the members of the team getting ready to depart for France, because, while she was known to be actively involved in the decision making process, she was rarely seen showing any interest in a mundane task such as seeing them off. She was accompanied by a young woman in her mid 20s. They were talking in a low voice.

"Good morning, everyone," Evelyn said when they got close to the team. "Hope you don't mind me dropping in today. I certainly do not want to get in your way, as I am sure you will do your duties with utmost professionalism… However, I have a small announcement to make. I want to introduce you to my friend, Jane Darcy." The three men on the team looked smug and cocky, the two women, worried and suspicious of the newcomer.

Jane Darcy was, for all intents and purposes, a mystery. She had a pleasant face and a benign smile. Her eyes were a piercing sapphire blue and she wore her long blonde hair in a relaxed braid, a few stray hairs sticking out here and there. She wore a pair of black business pants and black leather spool heel boots, a simple white button up shirt and a dark blue overcoat. In spite of her clothes' simple design, there was something royal in her features and her demeanor.

"She will be joining you on the Portkey into France. Don't worry, I am not replacing any of you, especially on such short notice. She will be running a private errand for me."

"I am sorry, Ma'am," one of the women interrupted. "I am sure anyone of us would be more than willing and able to help you with any errand you might have."

"I do not doubt that, Emily, and I know it is highly irregular, mixing business with personal matters, but there is no one else I would rather send. The matter is of great importance to me, and while I do trust in all of you, I would rather keep this separate from anything work related. I don't want to get any of you into trouble."

"If her presence is going to be an issue, are you sure it is wise for her to join us?" the other woman asked. "I am sure there are other, less conspicuous, ways for her to get into France."

"A covert op? If she is found, it would risk a diplomatic incident, which we would like to avoid. I assure you she will not pose a hindrance to any of you. All you need to do is make sure she gets past the customs, both in and out."

"Ladies, I am sorry to disturb you," one of the men said, as he checked his pocket watch, "but we leave in five minutes. Lady Greengrass, I hope you have her papers ready as well."

"Of course, Theodosius," Evelyn replied, "she has everything she needs."

"Marvelous. Well, then, Ms. Darcy, welcome on board," he said. He checked his watch one more time and picked up a large silver platter. "It is time to leave. Everybody, grab on and hold tight."

-section break-

Lily let out a satisfied sigh. No one suspected a thing about 'Jane', the last-minute addition to their little expedition, and she got a pretty warm welcome. She had James' cloak in her bag, a contingency, as Evelyn called it, in case she would need to make herself scarce and fast.

"If my portkey landing were smoother, that'd be great," she muttered crossly, wiping the dirt from her bottom. The others were trying to conceal their sniggering.

"You don't use them too often, do you? Takes a few frequent trips to get used to. Eventually, you find your footing," said one of the other men in the group, as he helped her up.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks," she replied as she accepted the helping hand.

'A device that bridges long distances in such a short time,' her tenant chimed in, 'is quite a marvel. It would have be very useful to move large armies between fields of battle.'

'Yes, well… It saves time while transporting groups of people, but it's quite painful when you don't land on your feet.'

The group made their way from the Arrival Hall to an office labeled _Douanes magiques_ , to formally announce their presence in the country, Lily finally figured out where in France they were, when she spotted a sign just above the entrance to the office, with a bland greeting - _Bienvenue à Nantes_.

"Papers, please!" the man behind the counter asked in a gruff French accent. Lily presented the forged travel documents Evelyn got for her, with some apprehension. The customs officer checked the papers, skimming the main information needed, and yawned loudly. He took a large gulp from the coffee cup on his desk.

"Long shift?" Lily asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Early hours," the officer replied curtly. "Purpose and duration of visit?" She was taken aback by his attitude.

"Trade," Theodosius replied in her place, presenting another set of papers. "Acquisition of goods on behalf of Greengrass Imports." She let him take over, grateful she didn't have to invent any reason for her presence in France.

"Everything seems to be in order," the customs officer said after spending a couple of minutes checking all the paperwork the team provided. "Please proceed to the last step: wand registration." Lily put on a worried face.

"Excuse me, are you sure that is necessary?" she asked.

"First time abroad, are you?" Theo intervened, with a smile. "It's a harmless trace placed by the Bureau on your wand. It will only trigger if you cast offensive magic. Don't worry, it will not impede any sort of magic, they just like to make sure we don't cause trouble while we are here."

"Oh, OK. That makes sense." She reached into her pocket and pulled out James' mahogany wand. Lily laughed when Evelyn had suggested that she'd take it with her. As it turned out, she had a point. She handed it to the officer, who briefly scanned it and took notes of its model and length, wood and core, placed what looked like a simple trace charm on it and returned it to Lily.

Within minutes, everyone had their wands scanned, registered and safely returned. Soon enough, the group was waved through the wooden doors onto an empty street, in the middle of Nantes. Lily took a moment to get her bearings and checked the local map Evelyn so graciously provided. It was a magical map that would change its content, based on the traveller's surroundings, showing them both Muggle and Magical points of interest. At this very moment, it highlighted the best route to take from their arrival point to the train and bus station, just a couple of streets away.

"See you in 3 days," Lily waved to Evie's employees and started to make her way toward the train station.

"Hope you don't mind me asking, but what exactly are you looking for in Saint Martin des Tilleuls, Jane?" Emily asked, laying her hand on Lily's shoulder in a less than friendly manner.

"Well, Evie's supervisor in the Ministry has put out a sum of money for the acquisition of a few 'special' books, which turn out are extremely hard to find. I've managed to track them down to a local collector of rare books in the area. I am going to negotiate for them. For all our sakes, I hope he doesn't try the sleazy old man routine or the highway robbery approach. I don't feel like spending any more time with a filthy old man than I have to. And I'm sure Evie, or her supervisor for that matter, certainly wouldn't like me starting an international incident while I'm here. See you on the fourth." Before she could gain three more meters on the group, the busybody called again.

"What kind of books would a paper pusher in the Wizengamot Administrative offices put a bounty on?"

'Tell her it's a book on handling family feuds between nobles,' her tenant chimed in before Lily had any time to invent something.

"A 14th century law book, containing a record of legal precedents and a detailed account on the settlement of blood feuds between Noble Houses. Evie also requested the book is to be kept secret, as we don't want the French Bureau de la Magie knowing we're removing such a book from their territory," Lily added, hoping it would put an end to the woman's questions. No such luck.

"You and Mistress Evelyn seem to be very close, the way you call her like that. I've been working for Greengrass Imports for a very long time now, and this trip is the first time I've seen you or heard you are employed here. Why is that?"

"Aren't you a curious one? I've known Evie for ages, before she involved herself in the family business. Let's just say she has good reasons to trust me," Lily said before her wand sprang from within her sleeve. She twirled it in her fingers, enough to give off sparks. "Oh, and I forgot to add, I do have carte blanche to fulfill the mission entrusted to me here. If I find you to be an impediment, I do have the authority to remove you from the equation. Me being a part of Greengrass Imports is the easiest way to gain entry in the country, that is all you need to know."

The expression of shock on the Emily's face was indicative enough that she would no longer be questioning Lily's presence. If she didn't know better, she would have said she saw a flash of red anger in the woman's eyes. She frowned and turned, feeling it would be better to keep to her own business. The sooner the intruder left the group, the better. Lily smiled as she noticed the reaction and turned to leave. She checked the time to see if she would would make the next train to Saint Martin des Tilleuls.

"Good luck, Jane," Theodosius said behind her, "and remember, don't be late, or we leave without you."

"Thank you, Theo. See you in a couple of days," Lily replied and waved, not even turning.

'It is so distasteful when SOME people don't know their place, little one,' Jeanne said a couple of seconds later. Shifting her backpack straps for comfort, Lily contemplated the mission ahead.

'All I have to worry about now is my glamour failing at the worst possible time. You wouldn't be able to do anything about that, would you?'

'The illusion… is it anchored to your mind, or your body?'

'My body. It's being held in place by my will and focus. However, a forceful application of energy, of any kind, can take it down.'

'Not if it is held by my will and focus, it won't. Allow me to see what I can do about it.'

Lily felt a small tingling sensation, and the draw on her reserves from the glamour eased, then vanished completely. With a smile she quickened her pace once again.

'A girl can really get used to this kind of treatment.'

For no reason she could fathom, she felt as if the avatar of her tenant in the mindscape was grinning in a highly unsettling fashion. She gave a mental shrug and stopped thinking about it.

-section break-

From her table at a cafe in front of the train station in Nantes, Lily watched the people going about their lives unaware of the existence of magic.

'Look at them, so blissfully unaware of the incredible and frightening other world that lies just in front of them. At times, I envy these people, Jeanne.'

'Why is that, little one?'

'I've been in this fairytale world for about half my life. Some people don't do well with the secrecy and duplicity this sort of life requires of them. You can count me in that select group.'

'Do you wish to have never been known of it? To have never been brought into it? You have all the instruments you require to be a great force for change at your fingertips. Does it not please you to have that power?'

'To be honest, when I was younger, the answer would have been as clear as day. Nowadays, I wish I was a mere Muggle like most of my family. One thing is for certain. I love my son, but the hassle of having fought blood purists and worrying for my life makes me wish for a simpler existence, devoid of the nastier surprises the magical world can provide, that's all.' The Witchblade's voice seemed to scoff at her statement.

'A life of mediocrity is a life devoid of meaning. If it grants you any consolation, as long as I am by your side, you need not worry about any unpleasant surprises. Be thankful for your magic and acquired place in society.'

'Don't get me wrong, I am thankful for all of it. Just that it can be exhausting.'

'We can rest when we're dead,' Jeanne said abruptly. 'How long do we have until we depart for the town of my mistress's companion?'

The last question, out of the blue as it was made Lily stop and consider the words themselves. If memory served her right, the companion of her tenant's former mistress, was none other than Gilles de Rais, the infamous Bluebeard, a man who owed his ill gotten fame and power to the inhuman practice of murdering children. What stuck out in the history books was that there was no mention of him being magical, or how he kept that secret. Somehow, him ever having at least one volume of an equally infamous book of deep dark secrets should not have been a surprise.

'One thing at a time, Lily,' Jeanne said, noticing her reluctance. 'We WILL find something useful or nothing at all. Either way, questions will be answered. Now tell me… How long before the machine takes us to the town we were directed to?'

'We leave within the hour. The train ride itself to Saint Martin des Tilleuls will take roughly an hour, and the rest of the way to Tiffauges could take from 10 minutes to an hour, depending on if we can get a car to take us there or not,' Lily replied with a small amount of annoyance.

-section break-

As soon as they arrived, Lily noticed something.

'It just dawned on me. How on Merlin's beard am I supposed to track down a place that must have changed it appearance in the past half a millennium?' She huffed angrily, checking Evelyn's map. While she wasn't lost, she might as well have been. While map did provide a representation of modern Tiffauges and its surrounding areas, there was no record of the location where Gilles de Rais might have hid his volume of the Cainite Grimoires.

'Why do you not try asking the locals if they are aware of any 500 year old ruins? Or of any old yew tree forest?' suggested Jeanne.

'Need I remind you, Hogwarts did not have an intensive French class? I don't speak the language.'

'Could I suggest an application of magic for the purpose of translating between the languages?'

'I know one such spell, but casting it at random people is a good way to get a visit from the Bureau's Gendarmes. If I cast it on me and run into a local witch or wizard, they will notice it. I am not exactly dressed like a tourist.' Lily stopped in her tracks and her face lit up. 'Why didn't I think of this before. I'll try the town's public library. If there is anyone who might know English, that would definitely be the librarian' she said with a slight note of amusement.

'First, I suggest we find accommodations, as well as sustenance.'

'You're right. This morning, I was too worried about Harry, making sure he was all taken care of, that I barely had anything to eat myself.'

-section break-

Lily entered the rented room at the Cheval Cabré, threw her backpack at the foot of the bed and huffed in annoyance, before sitting heavily on the bed and laying on her back.

"Surviving the fight with that bloody terrorist must have used up my luck for the next six months," she said angrily. "I swear I've never seen so many people incapable of linking more than two words together in English. I'd expect that of old people, but even those my age are too proud or stubborn to reply in the same language."

'May I advise caution? Talking out loud to oneself, especially in an inn with walls as thin as this is definitely not a positive gain for how others see you.' Lily felt Jeanne smirk beneath the flat tone of the uncalled for advice. She let out a deep sigh.

'Just so you know, as long as I don't make a habit of it in public for extended periods of time and I don't sound like I expect an answer from someone who isn't there, I doubt anyone would really care. Still, you have a point, don't want to be mistaken for a loon. However, how bloody hard is for those librarians to understand I wanted to know about the local old forests where I might be able to find yew trees. I might as well have used sign language. Wonder if it is international. If not, I doubt they would have understood that.'

'Rest assured, we will find our quarry. In the meantime, as you did not get a chance to do so after the trial, I would strongly recommend you familiarise yourself with the new developments in the weapon's potential.' Lily noticed a hint of impatience in her tenant's voice.

'What new developments? What can you do now that you didn't before.'

'Spells can prove an invaluable resource, but, in battle, you won't always have access to your wand. Why don't you try casting magic, focusing it through the gauntlet? At first, the strength of the spells may not be akin to what you have been accustomed to with your wand, but, in time, the gauntlet may even surpass it. Or, why not practice using my sensing abilities without my active participation. I can't do it all for you, unless you relinquish yourself to being my meat puppet for the remainder of our bond. Which, in my view, doesn't sound too bad.'

'Look who developed a sense of humour,' followed Lily's snarky reply.

She rose from the bed and muttered a few choice words, before pulling a small ebony box Evelyn gave her out of her backpack. She set it on the floor and slightly tapped it with the tip of her wand. The box started to expand slowly, engulfing her and the room around her, stretching past the walls.

'This should do,' Lily said, inspecting the white open space,.

'Most impressive,' Jeanne replied as well, 'but are you sure it is necessary?'

'I am not entirely certain I will be able to fully control all the abilities right now. And we don't want to destroy the inn or bother any of the other guests. Let me demonstrate.' She raised her wand and simply said ' _Bombarda Maxima!_ '

The charm struck an invisible barrier, smoke and dust rising from the spot where the spell hit. When it finally settled, seconds later, what should have been a pile of rubble, was, for lack of a better term, still as intact a wall as before.

'Extraordinary!' Jeanne said, shortly after. 'Within this… space, we shall have no worries of disturbing anyone fortunate enough to be close by tonight. However, I recommend we start off with far less lethal charms - Levitation and Lumos.'

Without a word and wand in hand, Lily conjured a simple wooden block, which she levitated effortlessly. Next, she used her wand to cast _Nox_ and _Lumos_ , concentrating on the feel of the energy going into the implement to power the charms.

Putting away the wand, she willed the gauntlet to form. She closed her eyes and, extending her arm, she spoke the incantation for the Wand Lighting Charm. She concentrated on visualising the effect. She opened her eyes, hoping to see a light on her extended index finger. There was not so much as a glimmer. She grunted in dismay.

'Anything wrong?' Jeanne asked, breaking her concentration.

'Visualising the light on the tip of my finger isn't working,' Lily replied.

'I am sad to say… You are doing it wrong,' her companion said, in a sing-along voice.

'Shut it. Let's try that again.' This time, Lily made a fist and stuck her thumb up. Visualising the light gathering on its tip, she spoke the incantation ' _Lumos_ '. Nothing.

'You must be dreaming if you think you will achieve the expected results this way.' Jeanne's tone was dripping with mockery. 'What exactly were you trying to do? If you don't mind me asking.'

'I was visualising my thumb as a candle. I was trying to light the wick on fire and have that as a light source.'

'Light on a fingertip like, while trying to mirror a lit candle. Spectral light trying to mirror a flame. Not exactly similar, little one.'

'Stop calling me that. I thought we agreed for you to use my name.' Jeanne ignored her and continued.

'For starters, if you wanted a flame light, you are trying the wrong spell.'

'Hmph.'

'Next, as I just said, you are doing it wrong. According to your own memories, the times where you performed magic without any implement, like floating from a swing to the ground, or changing your sister's hair color did not involve only visualisation. I find it laughable to see that you were regarded as the smartest among your peers, when you seem to misunderstand the way magic works. It is not only visualising the effect, but manifesting your will.' The voice of her tenant must have struck a chord. Lily almost growled the spell, foregoing the image of the candle and focusing on the light she needed. Slowly, a small ball of light formed in her palm. The result snapped Lily out of her anger.

'That was really underhanded, you know. You should have just said that I need an application of will and a different form of visualisation,' she said with some disappointment.

'It is somewhat logical that you need a different set of actions when doing magic in different conditions.'

'Meaning?' Lily asked. She heard her companion sigh.

'Listen,' Jeanne started. 'Your magic is yours. It wants to serve you, but it will not bend, unless you make your will known. By overthinking its effect to the means by which it is achieved, you restrict it. As such, more will power is needed to make magic work. Wands, through their core and wood, learn from their wielders and even compensates for whatever will power they can't bring forth themselves.'

'That's why wandless magic is more complicated. No one explained it to me like that before. No wonder I am rubbish at it. But… isn't… aren't you a magical implement? Wouldn't you be able to do what a wand does and compensate what I am lacking?'

'Well… yes. However, unlike a wand, I lack a core to compensate with. For lack of better term, you are the core. Then again, I could help you, but it would work only if you relinquish yourself to me. Or I could briefly take over, at least in a defensive capacity, but only if you ask it of me, as you did just days ago. It would be a poor showing if my host would die while I am on their side.'

'I think I understand now. Lose the sarcasm and you might just turn out to be a half decent tutor,' Lily replied with a smirk.

'Levitation is next,' Jeanne said, ignoring the mock compliment.

Taking the Witchblade's advice, Lily did not bother with the swish and flick of the Levitation charm; instead she flicked a finger upwards while saying the incantation, and willing the small wooden block to raise to her eye level and stay there unless directed. The block wobbled for a split second, then rose to the required level. Surprised that it worked on the first try, Lily lost concentration and the block promptly dropped noisily to the floor. She wanted to cheer, but, as she rose from her seated position, she felt the magical drain. Not even the worst battle against the Death Eaters left her this drained. She tried to stand up, but her legs buckled under her weight due to exhaustion, and she fell unceremoniously on her behind.

"Wandless magic is draining. And, by the looks of it, hazardous to my health," Lily grumbled, rubbing her sore rear end.

'It will get easier with practice. Slowly, you will learn how to dose your strength and will with each spell,' Jeanne said. 'Moving on. Try forming the armor on top of your clothes now.'

'How about later? I need a break. Let me catch my breath and take a shower. Then we can continue, but with less clothes on. Since I didn't bring too many with me, I'll need every last piece to be intact, when we return to pick up my little man from Evie.'

'I sense you miss your offspring greatly.'

'Yes, I do. I'm counting the seconds until I see him again.'

'Clean your body then. Rest up. You will need your energy when forming the armor.'

-section break-

"Here goes nothing," Lily muttered as she sat in the emptiness of the safe space within the charmed boundaries of the ebony box. She felt exposed having only a bra and underwear on, but shredding any clothes she couldn't easily replace or justify the destruction of wasn't worth the risk.

'Focus on your discomfort. Use it. Bend magic to your will and bring forth the armor to preserve your modesty,' her tenant chimed in, sounding closer to a wise teacher, as opposed to the slight air of a cocky and conceited child it usually exuded in its mental voice. Huffing, Lily stood up and, with her eyes closed, she willed the armor to form slowly, over her underwear.

She felt the cold of the metal inching its way up from her right wrist, slowly covering her shoulders and her torso. She opened her eyes to watch the progress. Thin straps lines of metal were crawling across her skin. As if being watched gave it an impulse, the straps flowed faster, wrapping around her lower back, moving ever downward. They soon covered her all her body, all the way down her legs and feet, only to end in high pointed stiletto heels as boots formed under her soles. She struggled to keep her balance, but only for a moment.

'Really?' Lily heard Jeanne ask. 'Are you going to flaunt the latest ball fashions on the battlefield?'

'Can't a woman look nice while she goes about her business?' she replied, in a playful tone.

'What will you think of next, replacing metal armor with sentient hair?'Jeanne seemed to enjoy mocking her

'What? Ewwww! Hell nooo!'

'You can barely stand on those… things,'

'Fine… damn party pooper,' Lily muttered to herself. She visualised the stiletto heel transform itself into a slightly elevated flat one. 'Satisfied?' she asked, as she took a couple of steady steps.

'Perfect. See how well it worked, remember how you did it it and hold on to it.'

'O-kay…'

'Now dismiss the armor and summon it again, only this time, faster.'

'Yes, mom' Lily replied with some venom in her voice. "This is going to get very old soon." she muttered.

-section break-

Lily practiced forming the armor for about an hour or so, adding another piece of clothing every other attempt. Initially, she found the metal straps would crawl very close to her skin, so, in order to avoid ruining her clothes, she willed the armor to form over them just an inch wider. If any of the armor pieces would be too large for her to wear, it would simply be altered at will.

When she was confident she had the gist of armor summoning down, Lily felt she was ready to try weapon creation. She raised her right hand and flexed her fingers. The gauntlet formed almost without her sparing a conscious thought.

"Might as well start off with the basics." A simple straight sword blade base extended from the underside of the wrist.

'This type of sword was the standard issue of the regular soldier during the time of my former mistress. I have grown quite fond of it,' Jeanne said, somewhat nostalgic.

'Wish you'd call me that as well,' Lily replied, in a singsong voice.

'What… exactly… are you talking about?!'

' _Mistress_. Wish you'd call me _Mistress_.'

'My dear, you have to earn that title,' came the Witchblade's snarky comeback. 'Now, pay attention. You will definitely need this information.'

'Ffffine…'

'If you are to summon a weapon as an instinctual response to a threat, this sort of sword will be the one that will materialise. Unless you put a minimal thought towards another weapon, that is, even newer ones, I am not familiar with. But, again, with proper application of will, you can create any implement you might need in the heat of battle.'

'Let's try the blades on the tips of my fingers,' Lily said, a couple of seconds later. 'They seem pretty useful.' No sooner had she thought it, that the one inch blades on all fingertips grew to 3 inches. With a small effort of will, the straight blades curved slightly, widened by a small margin and the backs became serrated.

'A rogue's tool…' Jeanne sounded a disgusted.

'You do not approve of it?'

'I am used to facing my enemy on the battlefield in an honorable fashion, with a proper sword in hand. A blade shorter than that of a short sword is more suitable for one that lurks in the shadow. A coward's weapon.'

'Says who? For all we know, the Wizarding world doesn't have a clue you exist. Having a huge sword is definitely a dead giveaway, we'd be announcing ourselves to everyone. Once everyone knows, they will either fear you or want to study you, which means we will be separated. And given your track record so far, who knows when you will find another willing companion. We have to work from the shadows,' quipped Lil.

'I suppose you are right,' replied Jeanne.

'And not to mention, not all enemies can be fought head on. Smaller, faster weapons and shadows might be a coward's means, but they are the best reconnaissance tools.'

'You make a fair point,' said Jeanne. 'All I hope is you will not waste my potential, and yours for that matter, on the small things.'

'Don't worry, I have big plans. And it will take the best tools and level headed partner to accomplish them.' Lily felt the Witchblade grin a wicked grin. 'Now, what else can you can you create?'

'I told you, Lily. if you can imagine it to the smallest details, I can form it. Within reason of course,' her companion replied, sounding like a smug child.

'So nothing world breaking. Got it.'

As the blades retracted, Lily thought about a bladed whip. A second later, a couple of tendrils coiled together while extending and grew spikes. She looked to the gauntlet and saw that the whip was still attached to the backside of her wrist, so she willed it to form a handle and wanted it in her palm. It did just that.

'You weren't kidding about what you can do. Let's see how far I can take it,' Lily mused. 'Perhaps even try Joan's spear I saw in the Periculum.'

'I do not know what juvenile goats have to do with anything I have imparted upon you about my abilities…'

'I'll need to give you a crash course in proper modern English, or you won't understand half of what I'm saying.'

'As for the weapon my mistress held in the trial,' Jeanne continued, paying no heed to the unwanted interruption, 'see it in your mind's eye and pull it forth into reality.'

Almost in an instant, thin slivers of black shadow erupted from the closed fist and materialised into a rod, which extended five feet and sprouted a leaf-shaped blade.

'You might want to add a spike on the other end, Lily, to counterbalance the weight of the bladed tip.'

'Right.' As instructed, Lily made the alteration and found it a lot more maneuverable. 'Thank you.'

She spent the following hour summoning different weapons to get a feel for them, and altering specific details, to make them more suitable for her frame. She was about to bring her practice session to a close, when an interesting idea popped into her mind.

Feeling somewhat tired, Lily was about to bring her practice session to a close, when she got an interesting idea.

'Can I make the off hand gauntlet into a copy of the main hand? As in form weapons with my left hand, not just my right?'

'The form the armor takes can change if you and I wish it to. Forming weapons with your off hand is of course possible.'

'Ok… but can I summon individual parts of the armor, like boots or the gauntlet on my left hand, without creating the entire armor?'

'I don't see why this should be a problem. You will just need to find a way to bridge the connections between the parts. Might take a lot more magic to keep them fully formed at first, but, given what I have seen tonight, I think you can manage it.'

Raising an eyebrow, Lily dismissed everything except for the main gauntlet on her right hand. She focused on forming the gauntlet over her left hand. Nothing seemed to happen. At first, she thought it was because she was exhausted. Then it dawned on her, the true meaning of what the Witchblade said. She needed something to connect the pieces of the armor. As soon as she asked herself how she could do it, the answer came to her. She imagined an invisible thread, crawling beneath her skin up her right arm, across her back and shoulders and down her left arm, and emerging through the wrist of her left hand. It quickly took the shape and colour of the main gauntlet, even down to the bladed fingertips.

She felt the experience left her drained, but she decided to push on. Sword blades formed from both wrists, extending only halfway the normal length. She retracted the left hand blade, at the same time willing the right hand one to form a hilt, effectively detaching it from the gauntlet and falling into her open palm. She threw the now detached sword into her other hand and attempted assimilating its hilt, which seamlessly melted into the gauntlet.

Lily was happy with the progress she made so far. In spite of her weariness, she felt compelled to attempt one more thing. She detached the blade from her left gauntlet and threw it in the air. Tendrils shot from her right hand, caught the weapon in mid air, twirled it once for good measure, and absorbed it within seconds, before retracting into the fingertips, making them resemble daggers.

"Now THIS is what I call proper weapon handling," she couldn't help gloat to her companion.

'Amateurish at best, Lily,' the Witchblade retorted. 'Your only limitation with the weapons is how fast you can form the image and how fast you can will changes. Your skill with said weapon also governs how well you can use it.' Lily huffed.

'Would you stop raining on my parade? It's not like you taught me how to do this from the get-go, you know.' She dismissed the weapon and armor and exited the ebony box, back into her room at the Cheval Cabré. 'Though I should ask Evie for some lessons on handling swords.'

'Do that. Some exotic weapon training would be fortuitous to have as well.'

The bell in the clock tower announced it was three in the morning.

'I'm hungry. Gonna pop down for a bite. Want something?'

'You MUST be joking. You can barely stand. You should _sleep_.'

Lily felt the Witchblade's last word had a strange echo to it. Her eyes felt heavy, her knees weak. She fell backwards onto the bed, falling asleep before her head hit the pillow.

Nobody noticed the ruby give off a pulsating light, probably echoing the beat Lily's heart.

 _November 3rd_

'Let's hope the search for the location of Bluebeard's chateau goes better than yesterday. How bloody hard can finding a yew tree that has been here before 1430?' Lily thought to herself and sighed as she walked out of the inn she was staying in.

The weather was chilly and, with the sun hidden behind thick clouds, it looked like there were little chances of getting any warmer. The constant wind and light rain made Lily pull the collar of her coat up and the hood a bit closer, to stave off the elements. She readjusted the backpack on her shoulders and made her way towards the town library, hoping she would find a librarian with a minimal comprehension of the English language.

Not paying attention to where she was going, she bumped into someone. Considering she was walking at a very brisk pace, trying to get out of the rain as soon as possible, the impact of the collision knocked her off her feet.

"I am terribly sorry, didn't see you there," she stammered as she tried to get back to her feet. Once up, she looked at the person she bumped into. The woman's hair was a shade darker than her own, her eyes a stunning tint of violet. She was garbed in a long green dress, with a spiral on the left side. She was rubbing her head and she was muttering to herself what, to Lily, sounded like a long list of expletives. She was definitely not pleased with the unwanted interruption to her day.

"I am very, very sorry. Please, let me help you up," Lily said, offering a helping hand. The woman accepted and got to her feet, not before picking up the long cloth-wrapped bundle that laid beside her.

"What in the name of Kami has you in such a hurry, that you managed to knock us both down to the ground?" the woman asked in perfect English, only the slightest hint of a foreign accent. Lily looked stunned.

"You speak English?" she asked.

"Obviously," the other woman replied, rolled her eyes. "Otherwise, I would have cursed you in French or Japanese. Now, would you kindly answer my question?" she continued with a tinge of frustration in her voice.

"I was trying to get out of the rain. I admit, my mind was a million miles away," Lily replied sheepishly. "You see, I have only two more days to find a certain location, somewhere close by…" The other woman sighed.

"What are you looking for that would have you so strung out?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. Lily was taken aback by the woman's straightforward approach. She was lost for words, spending the next couple of seconds trying to form an adequate excuse, one that would not make her sound weird.

'Tell her you're studying a local myth about Gilles, about a hidden structure he started building before he was tried for his crimes. You might want to tell her about the trees and the wall,' the Witchblade suggested.

"I am an Archeology student and I am… investigating a local urban myth about Bluebeard…" Lily said. "You know, Gilles de Rais? I know you are gonna say I am silly, but I am trying to find something he built before he was put on trial… for taking children."

"A door in a wall, that is part of nothing bigger?" the woman replied with a smile.

"That's the one," Lily replied, trying to stifle a laugh. "My history professor is probably laughing himself hoarse. He considers me crazy to think the place actually exists. I was hoping to bring him a photo of where the locals think it was."

"That's all?" The woman laughed for a few seconds. "While it is not a tourist attraction, you are not the only one to look for the place. Adventurous teens and self proclaimed historians tried to find it, but to no avail. I believe there was something there once, however, last I heard, nobody found anything but rubble. If you have a map, I can point you in the general direction." She pointed to an area, just a mile or two outside town, along the road down south.

"Thank you. You just saved me hours of searching," said Lily. "Is there anyway I can repay you?"

"I believe there should be no price on history. I am sure I will hear about it on the news, if you find anything," the other woman said, winking. She bid Lily goodbye and good luck, all the while trying to suppress outbursts of giggles.

'See, Lily?' Jeanne said. 'We now have a place to start our search for Gilles de Rais' chateau and the resting place of the books.'

'Don't you feel it is a little too convenient that I literally ran into a person willing to direct me exactly where I needed to go?' Lily enquired, tightening her grip on the strap of her back pack.

'I felt no magic on her, no any mystic energies, such as those associated with my mother, nor the presence of any other like myself. It is wise to be cautious, but it might be energy unwisely spent.'

'Well, we are still pretty far away from it, an hour or two walk, if I'm right. Better stock up on water and grab a bite to eat. I'll need to keep up my energy levels.'

Behind Lily, the woman who helped her grinned, her violet eyes flashed for a brief instant, and, with a slight crack, was gone. People were walking through the place she occupied just moments previously as though she was never there.

-section break-

Lily looked at her map, hoping she didn't lose her way. She was in the middle of the forest, several miles out of town. She had no landmark to guide her. The compass she had recently bought did little to help her find Bluebeard's chateau. All she had to go by was her limited knowledge of botany. She remembered James taking her camping once or twice, but the newlyweds had other things in mind than just trekking through the woods. She blushed and shuck the image out of her head, suppressing her disgust at the mere thought of her former husband having ever laid a hand on her.

'You have to leave that behind,' Jeanne said without warning. 'Focus on the task at hand.'

"Do you bloody mind?" Lily shouted. 'Can't I have a single private thought? Not all of us are soulless war machines. Humans can't always go on, only _focusing on the tasks at hand_. I will have my moments of privacy, whether you like it or not.'

'I do apologize,' Jeanne replied, 'but even though I am a soulless war machine, as you astutely observed, I can not remain completely detached and emotionless about the prospect of finding the sanctum of my former Mistress's betrayer.'

'Emotion?' Lily raised an eyebrow. 'I thought the warrior should show no emotion.'

'Warriors should not let themselves be led by emotion. As for your reveries, I can see their purpose, but do not dawdle on them. We don't have enough time for that. You can no longer walk down the primrose path.'

Lily scoffed and ignored her. She was now standing in a small copse of trees that looked no older than 30 to 40 years. And they were the wrong species. _Fiend elms_.

'For the love of Merlin, this is taking too long. Jeanne, do you feel anything magical in the area?'

'Why don't you try using your own magical senses?' her tenant replied, in a whimsical, yet miffed tone. 'They worked just fine for the runes in your house.' She sounded like a petulant child.

'Didn't you just say that we don't have time to dawdle? Not to mention, yours are sharper than mine.' The Witchblade didn't reply. 'You're a terrible tutor, you know. This isn't as easy as summoning and dismissing armor or weapons, those at least have a physical element to them.' Still nothing from her companion. 'I am drawing as much knowledge as I can from seeing how _you_ find concealed things, too subtle for the human perception.' Silence. 'Fine. If you insist, I will try on my own. But remind me to buy you a binky when we get back home.'

'Excuse me!?' The Witchblade sounded extremely offended.

'Ah, so you CAN hear me,' Lily said, with a giggle. 'Alright. I said I'll try on my own. But I'll take any help that you can dispense. If I can't find anything, but you DO sense something, do let me know.'

Lily closed her eyes and placed her hand on the trunk of one of the fiend elms. She tried to feel the sap moving through it, to trace it to its source and sense any remnant of magic coursing through its the lifeline. After a few seconds search, she felt the tiniest shred of a magical signature with a very foreign aura, pulsating from nearby. It was no regular magic. She opened her eyes and moved towards a clearing which seemed to be its origin point.

The fiend elms slowly thinned out as Lily got closer to the clearing. In the center, there were ancient looking thick stumps, looking really out of place among the younger trees. It looked like they were arranged in an odd pattern, encircling the remnants of an old wall. She squinted and pulled her wand out.

' _Specialis Revelio_!' she said, in a whisper. Lines of fading light connected the stumps, forming an incomplete pentagram. The magical aura she had felt previously sensed seemed to originate from it, oozing and pouring off of the wall and stumps. It felt old and almost fully decayed. Ley lines seemed to sprout out of each of the points of the pentagram, all of them equally decayed. Except for one. It lead somewhere to the right.

Lily moved in that direction, and, with her hand extended, followed along the fading light until it intersected another barely visible line. It looked like, for a five-foot radius around it, the junction was completely and conspicuously devoid of plant life. As she got closer to inspect the place, a brush rustled close behind her. In an instant, she turned, wand out.

A tiny red fox sprang from between the twigs and darted towards the lines of light. However, before it could set foot within the barren circle, it froze. It turned its head towards Lily. She saw the look on the poor thing's face, one of sheer terror, a silent plea in its eyes. It looked like it was in pain. Lily couldn't stand it.

' _Stupefy_!' The tiny creature slumped to the ground. Lily picked it up and moved it well away from circle. She noticed its fur had turned grey in places and was singed in others. When she felt it was safe for it not to run back into the trap, she set it down. ' _Enervate_!' The fox slowly came to and sniffed around. It got up and, approaching Lily, it tentatively head butted her outstretched hand, allowing her to scratch her behind the now silver grey ears. It repaid her with a purr and a lick and bolted into the woods, with a limp, albeit a barely visible one.

Lily didn't sense any other animals nor any people around. She stowed her wand away.

The ground where the ley lines crossed each other looked very compact. It couldn't have been trampled by any of the forest beasts, as she saw what effect the place had on animals. Lily chalked it up to the passage of time and to the elements. It would have been enough for a strong rain to drench the soil and a strong summer sun to help the water evaporate to harden it.

'I think there is only one way to break through,' she said, a wicked grin on her face.

'What exactly do you have in mind?' Her companion sounded worried.

'Let's say you deserved this,' Lily said and formed the gauntlet. She extended the claws and plunged them deep into the ground.

'What ARE you doing? I am an immensely powerful instrument of war and magic, and you use me as a mere shovel? Why don't you use your bloody wand for this?' Jeanne complained. Before Lily could reply, the claws hit a big rock. She brushed the dirt around it and found it was a wardstone, odd looking runes carved into it. She felt its magic was almost drained.

'Well, well, what do we have here? Jeanne, can you read these runes?'

'After the treatment you put me through, I should…'

'Consider it a mud mask, a common beauty treatment present day folk enjoy. Now, can you read the damn runes?'

'There are three sets of runes,' Jeanne replied in a reluctant tone. 'The first mentions a ward of concealment, the second is an array of misdirection and the third, a magical tap to redirect energy to an expansion charm. What do you make if it?'

'Concealment and misdirection runes are somewhat understandable. If Muggles were to come close, the array would have guided them away from the circle. If one of them managed to power through the charm, the concealment runes would have made sure the place remained invisible to them. The broken down wall at the edge of the array most likely would also have been concealed.' The explanation just rolled off Lily's lips, as if she had been doing this for a living. 'As for the tap, if what we saw our little foxy friend go through, it would seem it serves to replenish the charms magic by draining the life of the creatures that step within the circle. Small animals might be drained in an instant. Any stray Muggle would suddenly feel sick and would step outside the circle before it would affect them.'

'A most astute observation. I sense the wards started to fail fairly recently. Why do you think that is?'

'Probably because of the Second World War, 40 years ago. France was pretty much a battle field. Nazi Germany bombed the hell out of cities and forests where the French Resistance might have hidden. I doubt that ward stone, with all its enchantments, could have withstood a bomb landing right on top of it. Not even a madman like Bluebeard could have predicted his chateau would encounter such destruction. Locals found these ruins after the War had ended.'

'What you sure this is Gilles de Rais place?'

'I am not sure whether we are where the visions pointed me. Just that whatever is hidden here is too damn well protected by strong enchantments. Unless there were two villains willing to sacrifice all forms of life to keep their place hidden from intruders. And that wall we passed previously fits the style of the period he lived in. The trees that marked the doorway might have fallen. Let's just hope we find the way in.'

'You have done well, but I recommend you let me look for the doorway,' Jeanne said. 'Your human senses might may not be able to find it. Draw your casting implement and let me do the rest.' The Witchblade's voice sounded awfully imperious.

The gauntlet reformed as soon as Lily had the wand out of its holster. When dark metallic tendrils twisted around it, the wand's tip glowed white.

'Slowly spin in a circle and watch the color of the tip,' her tenant ordered.

'A magical compass? Interesting.' Lily did as directed and the light started to dim and shift to green, and then to silver. A beam shot out and cut through some overgrown shrubbery at the edge of the barren circle and marked a spot under the rotten trunk of an uprooted tree.

'There is something under that tree.' The Witchblade sounded smug. The tendrils released their grasp on the wand. Lily's first thought was to retract it in its holster, which was hidden up her sleeve, then reconsidered. She inched closer to the lit spot and saw moss covered stone in the shade of the rotten tree. The undergrowth was creeping up the stones.

'I hope the place hasn't collapsed yet, for the sake of all the time I spent searching for it.' Lily mused.

'If the expansion charm still draws power from the wardstone, it could mean the affected space might still be active. Hence, the entrance might still be intact as well,' her tenant said.

'In theory, yes. The doorway might just be blocked.' Lily looked at the uprooted tree and, under it, she saw the same type of stone as the outer wall, covered in moss and creeping vines. 'You were right, it's under the tree.'

'Why don't you allow me to take the reigns? I will clear this up.'

Lily let herself fall back into a spectator position, while the Witchblade had the armor form over the clothes. Both her hands were covered in the armored gauntlet, the claws supplemented by a set of tendrils coiling around her wrists. She thinned the claws and drove them into the tree trunk, extending them into branching spikes, which, once embedded in the rotten wood, began to thicken, effectively breaking it from the inside. She retracted the claws and sent the tendrils into the newly formed channels, and, with the tiniest amount of applied force, obliterated the obstacle in that stood in her way, sending wooden splinters as tiny as a toothpick and shards as big as a matchbox flying, many of which ended up in Lily's hair.

'Thank you for that!' she said, sarcasm oozing out her tone. 'I'll be pulling rotten splinters from my hair for days. Just what I needed to brighten my bloody day.'

'Oh, but allow me!' Jeanne replied, in the same tone. Lily felt a thin layer of magical energy forming around her entire body. It expanded outwards, disintegrating the numerous pieces of wood that in her hair and clothes.

'What was that!? How did you do it?' Lily sounded thoroughly impressed.

'Remember the principles I provided last night? Magic is based on the user's intent, focus and implementation of will. What just happened is an even more basic form of the armor summoning you have already learned. I merely channeled your magic outward through your entire body, banishing any intruding pieces of wood. Same principles, different application. Through thorough practice, you might just find new ways my powers can aid you, even when wandless.'

'I'll keep that in mind. You do realise how strange the way you can make something so complicated sound so simple and frightening at the same time, don't you?'

'At least the wall is now uncovered,' replied a smug Jeanne, which then relegated back to Lily control of her own body.

Without the tree obstructing it, the wall from her Periculum vision looked even worse than they even expected, almost completely covered in moss and other unidentifiable organic matter. Lily took a sniff, expecting the stench of decaying plant life to hit her nostrils, however, there was no foul odor whatsoever. She pulled her wand and fired a series of charms meant to cut through the almost petrified moss and clean the the dried up matter, ending it with an extremely flourished ' _Scourgify_!'

'There's no such thing as something being too clean,' Lily mused as she retracted the wand in the holster. She formed the basic gauntlet over her right hand and, with her left tentatively raised over her head, she tried pushing the stone she saw in her vision opened the entrance. It didn't budge.

'The brick would have been at chest level in relation to a man's height,' the Witchblade chimed in. 'You, on the other hand, are below average height, even for a woman.' Lily couldn't let this slide and jabbed back.

'Remember the mud mask from earlier? I just thought of another beauty treatment you might enjoy. Remind me to give you a bath in sulphuric acid when I get a chance.'

Reveling in her tenant's confused silence, she tried all the stones of the ruined wall from as high as she could reach down to her chest height. One particularly odd shaped stone, two rows just above her head, moved sleightly inwards upon her touch.

"Vindicta!" said Lily, in as assertive a voice as she could, yet nothing happened. The stone popped back out. She repeated the process a dozen more times, trying all possible variations of saying the password, altering the tone of her voice and the speed with which she pushed the stone. She even tried using the password as a spell, using her wand to cast it. Nothing seemed to work, not even when she formed the gauntlet and attempted to use it as a conduit for pouring her own magic into the wall. It only served to make her angry.

"Bloody buggering shite!" Lily yelled at the top of her lungs. "Of all the blasted things that could have gone titsup, it had to be the fucking door!"

She kicked the wall in frustration, the boot glancing off the stones. Her anger was growing by leaps and bounds. She had better things to do with her time that she had to put on hold. She left her own baby for days; true, Harry was in the care of her best friend, but still, she wasn't by his side, where she should be. All for this pointless search. She felt the time she wasted on it could have been better spent on hunting down Peter, alongside Remus and Sirius. Or on beating Dumbledore down within an inch of his life for almost getting her killed. She saw red, rage flaring up, and punched through the wall. But, just as her fist made contact with the stones, the gauntlet retracted, which, coupled with the enhanced strength granted to Lily by her pact with the Witchblade, resulted in resounding crack. Shocked, she drew her hand back to assess the damage, expecting to see bone protruding through the skin. Instead, she saw her knuckles were barely grazed, blood dripping through the minuscule scrapes. No tendon or bone damage present.

Behind her, the wall groaned and gave way. She heard the sound of stone scraping against stone. She turned and, unlike anything she had expected, she saw the slabs below the wall separating and uncovering a stairway that went down into the ground.

'Why the hell did you retract the gauntlet?' Lily asked, as she muttered _Tergeo_ and _Episkey_. Her hand returned to its unharmed state.

'May I rust if I did such a thing! The armor retracted without my command. There must have been a hidden enchantment or two on the stone wall. Regardless, the doorway is now open. Let us see if the highly sought-after books are here or not.'

Lily lit her wand and, bracing herself, moved into the dark passage ahead of her.

-section break-

At the bottom of the long and winding set of stairs, their path was blocked by an iron-bound wooden door. As soon as Lily touched the wrought handle, the stone slabs above slammed shut, sealing her and her tenant in the darkness, under what might not even be the stone slabs in the clearing through which she entered, in the woods of outside the town of Tiffauges. Just as she was about to pull out the wand to cast some light on the situation, the torches that ran along the corridor beyond the door came to life. In the dim light of the flames, she saw a rune glowing on one of the stones beneath her feet.

'It would appear our most gracious host made sure we wouldn't fumble in the dark for too long,' she said.

'Caution is still highly advised, Lily. That same host is not to be trifled with.'

Releasing a breath she didn't no she was holding, Lily drew her wand in her left hand, willed the gauntlet gauntlet and sword to form on her right and stepped into the corridor. The silence was deafening. She half expected to see the flames flicker and to hear them crackle, yet they didn't. The walls and ceiling were devoid of cobwebs, the floor, untouched by dust or grime. It looked as if the environment itself was perfectly preserved, untouched by the reach of time for the past half a millennia, waiting for the return of its master.

'I've never seen anything like this. Even the Department of Mysteries exudes more life than this place.'

'This place, as you call it, is not meant to exude life. It is grief, given shape and substance, a place of mourning, built, for lack of better a word, by the man that loved my mistress, after she had been condemned and put to death. Unlike any run-of-the-mill witch or wizard, this man poured all of his heart and will into his casting, heavily influencing the result of his spells.' The Witchblade fell silent.

Lily halted in the middle of the corridor and extended her senses in search of the particular 'flavour' of the charms and wards usually set on a library. No such traces were to be found. What she did feel that came across as strange was the room at the very end of the hallway, on the left hand side. It felt devoid of any form of magic.

'I sense you are drawn to it.' The Witchblade sounded intrigued. 'It doesn't feel any different than a regular room in the non-magical side of your world. Why does that particular room pique your interest?'

'Places without magic in the non-magical world are absolutely normal,' came Lily's reply. 'On the other hand, lack of magic in a place built on and sustained by magic, that is what definitely stands out. If you see ten goblets on a table, you would expect to have water, wine or pumpkin juice, something to drink in them. However, when you approach, you see that one of them is filled with breadcrumbs. Do you notice the rest, which meet your expectations, or do you notice the one that immediately stands out?'

'Your logic is sound. In that case, let's proceed. Your destiny awaits in that room.'

'Yes, it does,' Lily replied, apprehensive and stepped forward.

Lily half expected the room to be pitch black, yet the room at the end of the corridor lit up as she walked in. Candle holders all around the room's edges and on every surface, all of them having the same eerie flamelike glow as the torches in the corridor.

It was a large room, almost cavernous in appearance, its walls lined with bookshelves that nearly touched the vaulted ceiling, all overflowing with everything from huge tomes and ancient looking books, to ragged scrolls and faded parchments. Some of the shelves looked like they contained entire collections of books nobody saw for centuries, quite a large number of them written entirely in strange runes, a few having golden and silver inlays. Here and there, there were stone tablets from almost all of the ancient cultures, ranging from cuneiform to egyptian and sumerian hieroglyphs, as well as displays that exhibited small skeletons of strange animals, dried herbs and the dried out husks of odd looking insects.

'Quite the collector he was.' Lily was thoroughly impressed.

'For better or for worse, he was a scholar,' the Witchblade corrected her. Lily didn't seem to notice her tenants almost melancholic tone.

'Even if we don't find the Grimoires, I suspect that the head honchos at the Department of Mysteries would pay a small fortune. Hell, any institution and private collector would love to get their mitts on these.'

'Need I remind you we are here to find something? Let's move along and find what we are looking for.'

Lily hmph-ed and continued to inspect her surroundings. She noticed something shimmer in the center of the room and carefully approached it. It was a pedestal with a thick twisted stump for a foot and a red leather-bound book atop it, in the center of two revolving circles of crimson glowing symbols. Right next to it, a sword was wedged point down in a crevice in the stone floor.

The book drew her attention. The red of its covers was unlike any shade she had ever seen. As she drew closer, the leather of the cover seemed to ripple, a symbol slowly forming - white inverted wings, with two stars on top. She tried reaching through the shimmering field for it, only to receive a nasty shock, living her hand partially numb.

"Ouch!" Lily yelped. 'Well. Looks like we found it,' she said to herself. She carefully circled the rings of foreign looking runes on the floor. They were different than everything she'd seen before. She wasn't eager to try and prod the field again, her arm still feeling the sting of the shock. 'Just need to get through this damn thing.' Her tenant was unusually quiet. 'Any suggestions, Jeanne?' The Witchblade remained silent. Lily wasn't in the mood for games. With her left hand pointer finger, she flicked the silver band around her right wrist.

'Ouch,' her tennant said. 'Do you mind?'

'I know you must be in awe, but didn't you just say we are on a mission to find something? Well, I do believe I found it. I could use some help on how to get past the field.'

'You are correct, of course,' Jeanne admitted. 'Fine. Feel the flow of the magic around the circle…' Lily rolled her eyes.

'Are you daft? I already tried that. Didn't you feel the jolt just seconds ago?'

'If you would pay attention, maybe you will be able to bypass the magical shield. You need to sense the flow of magic. If you believe you are unable to do so, ask for my help and you shall have it.'

The young woman huffed. She knelt just outside the rune circles and tried to feel the flow of the magic that was coursing around her. She sensed the circle was receiving power from somewhere, but she couldn't pinpoint its source. Other than that, the room didn't feel strange at all, though the lack of magical means of preservation was somewhat disconcerting in itself. The silent, self-lighting torches in the corridors, as well as the candles in the room did not give off any indication of being powered by a magical source. She knew her tenant wouldn't freely offer her assistance. This and having to rely on the Witchblade so much was starting to wear on her nerves.

'I can't sense anything useful. Jeanne, could you please help me?'

'Understood,' Jeanne replied, all smug. The gauntlet formed and the tendrils hovered over the symbols. For the next minute, all was still. Then, she chimed in all of a sudden. 'The symbols are meant to keep something sealed within the boundaries…' This abrupt intervention startled Lily, almost knocking her backwards. As she tried to regain her balance, she tried to grab onto the closest surface and instinctively wrapped one of the tendrils around the sword within the circle.

'Bloody hell, Jeanne. Can you NOT scare me like that ever again?' mentally shouted a startled Lily. She was about to continue her tirade, when she noticed the sword coming dislodged from its crevice. It came falling onto a random rune in the outer circle. The magical field around the pedestal flashed red. Flaming whips flared out, one of which wrapped around her wrist, then dissipated into thin air. The carved runes themselves lost their glow as well. The floor rumbled for a minute, hard enough to cause Lily to extend her arms to keep her balance. 'Bollocks! Look what you made me do!' she complained as she rubbed her wrist.

'Congratulations, you got past the shield!' came Jeanne's snarky reply.

'Without any precautions against whatever it was meant to seal…'

Just as Lily was about to rant on, a ghostly figure walked out of the inner circle. It was a man with disheveled dark hair and unkempt beard, a permanent look of disdain seemingly etched on his features. He opened his mouth and spoke, but his speech was strange to her.

"I do not understand you." The apparition said something else, this time appearing to speak in Latin, which, again, she didn't understand. 'Can you make out what he is saying, Jeanne?'

'He first addressed you in the French of my Mistress' time. He is inquiring as to you you are. His second attempt was in Latin. Don't you possess knowledge of a charm that would enable you to understand him?'

'I do know a modern translation charm, but it doesn't work with the older versions of any given language. I would have to use a version that was common in his time, which, again, I don't know and which would translate it in the equivalent old English. I may be a bibliophile, but I am definitely not a linguist.'

'It would be rude to keep our host waiting. Allow me to help you. Let me try something.'

Lily felt the Witchblade release the floodgates, pouring every bit of antiquated knowledge of the period's French language into her head. As the apparition spoke again, she could catch glimpses which she could understand.

"...are...doing...property?"

Breathing in slowly in order to alleviate the pounding in her head, Lily took her wand out and cast the modern translation charm, hoping the mental influx of information she had just received would make a difference.

"Can you understand me now?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"A magic user inside my domain. How did you learn of this place?" the apparition asked.

"Introduce yourself," Lily replied with a small smirk on her face. "It would only be the polite thing for a host to do. As soon as I know with whom I have the pleasure of speaking, I will answer all your questions." The apparition glared at her.

"My name is Gilles de Montmorency-Laval, Seigneur de Tiffauges, Maréchal de France, Baron de Pays de Retz. And who might you be, you impudent girl? Your visage is somewhat familiar to me."

"Also known by the common folk as Gilles de Rais. You are a hard man to find." The smirk never left her face. "A pleasure, Milord," she added with a curtsey. 'Jeanne, release the glamour.'

'Are you sure that is wise? We barely know what this spectral apparition is capable of.'

'Stop nitpicking and just do as I say.'

'I do not know what picking nits has to do with this, but you seem determined.' Lily felt the glamour fade away. The apparition gasped.

"Evangeline!? How did you gain magic? Last I saw you, you had none." Lily was stunned.

"I do apologize, but I am afraid I have no idea who Evangeline is. My name is Lily Evans."

Whatever the apparition expected to hear, her answer seemed to have surprised him. He started pacing and muttering to himself something Lily couldn't understand. A few seconds later, he turned back to her.

"You may not be Evangeline, yet, there are traces of her name in yours, even if befouled by the English language. And your parents paid homage to the Fleur de Lis."

"My parents had a thing for flowers. Even went as far as naming my sister Petunia, of all the possible names."

"Unimportant. Tell me, how long has it been since my Jeanne was burned at the stake?" Lily rubbed her own wrist.

"Today is the 3rd of November, 1981. Joan of Arc has died about half a millennium ago."

"I have sent Evangeline to meet with someone from the Noble House of Black in the Month of Mars, 1440. I do not have any memory of the events beyond the second of Avril."

There was sorrow in his voice. All things left unsaid apparently forgotten, he suddenly stepped towards Lily, eyes aglow with anger. She drew her wand out and pointed it towards his face, which didn't seem to deter him.

"How did you learn of this place? How did you enter? Speak, you impudent child!"

With each word he got closer and closer to Lily. Feeling the anger coming in waves off of him, forcing her backwards, she felt her own rage reaching a boiling point. Without sparing a single thought, she called forth the gauntlet and, claws extended, slashed at the him, ripping into his spectral clothing and causing him to freeze in place. His eyes were affixed on the gauntlet of the Witchblade.

"You carry Jean's burden. How is that possible?" de Rais sounded baffled.

"You introduced yourself, it would only be fair keeping my word. All your questions will be answered. First, how is it possible for me to posses this lovely trinket?" Lily asked pointing towards the gauntlet, as she retraced the claws. "It laid dormant in my now deceased husband's vault. I won't tell you the entire story of how I got it. Let's just say it made promises and it delivered on them. As to how I found this place, the spirit of Joan herself told me about it," she continued, extending the sword blade. It was de Rais' turn to step back, fearing the weapon might be able to injure him. "She told me you had information on the Witchblades. Books. I am seeking those. Lastly, you asked how I entered this place. It took a bit of persuading, almost to the point of me spilling my blood on the trigger stone of your doorway."

"Your blood opened the door?!"

Lily nodded. de Rais looked surprised, then burst into laughter. It sounded highly unnerving. She raised her sword, as if she was about to run him through.

"What do you find so goddamn funny, you glorified ghost?"

"Fate... and you, you silly little girl," de Rais said, between bursts of laughter. "It would appear to be true, the Witchblades really do seek out the descendants of their previous wielders."

This time, Lily was the one that was dumbstruck. She shook her head, gritted her teeth in anger, and slashed at the apparition. She advanced, not relenting her attack one bit, forcing him back, until he was right up against the pedestal. He didn't seem to be able to phase through it and he couldn't evade another sword slash. The tip of the Witchblade's sword came to rest right against de Rais' chest, the point where it made contact glowing a spectral glow.

"You better explain yourself or, so help me God, I will cut you to pieces, corporeal or not. Understood?" He nodded.

"A Witchblade, if impressed by her wielder, will always leave a sort of mark on them and their line. Should the artefact be separated in any way from its master, she will feel the mark through space and time. It doesn't matter if they are halfway around the world one from the other or if hundreds, even thousands of years pass, over hundreds of generations, she will try to get in proximity of such descendants, seeking out another suitable wielder. And now, you are the one to bear it. That means there is a chance, ever so slight, that you are her descendant. As Fate would have it, your blood opened a door that was not meant to open if you are of our lineage."

"To my knowledge, Joan died childless. There is no way in hell I would be her descendant. Nor yours, for that matter," Lily said, voice thick with disgust.

"Ah, but here is where you are wrong, my dear," de Rais grinned. "I had that greedy beast Nicholas Flamel brew up a concoction that, with a single hair from any specific man and woman added, could allow any other woman that drinks it bear their child. Once it was in my possession, I simply a lock of Jeanne's hair and one of my own and had Evangeline take it. She was to go to England to raise it. The House of Black was to offer her any aid they could."

"Great, one more thing to ask the goblins for… a lineage test for myself," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "Until then, however, I still have you to deal with. You are no normal ghost, are you?" she asked, steel in her voice, as she poked him again with the tip of the sword, making him cringe.

"True enough, I am not a ghost. This… form… is the result of my rather infamous work. Years and years of splitting my soul by torturing and sacrificing so many innocents."

"Why the hell would you even submit yourself to such a thing?"

"What I did, I did in the name of the love I bore Jeanne. I did it to complete my vengeance on Gilbert Potter and his line," de Rais declared, with a smug grin on his face. He seemed satisfied at the puzzled look on Lily's face.

She had no idea what splitting one's soul meant. Yet, hearing the cause for the man's actions was a Potter was a very serious reason to worry. Not to mention, the damn apparition looked proud with all of the murders it had committed while alive. However, she didn't have time to process all of this further, as de Rais was far from done with its bravado.

"Foolish little girl, didn't the House of Black teach your forebears nothing about the darkness that one can seek out and embrace in order to empower and keep oneself alive?"

"I was not raised among the House of Black. If anything, I am merely acquainted with one who could inherit its Lordship." This information made the apparition furious.

"Did those bastards forget their sworn duty!?" he asked.

'Lily, I highly recommend you do not mention your son is the heir is Potter family. It might not end well if you do,' the Witchblade whispered in her ear. 'He is too far gone… corrupted… My sword could destroy him, if need be, but before, have him tell you more about my mistress' legacy.'

"The House of Potter is no more. Its last lord died just days ago."

"Ah, so Gilbert Potter's lineage is broken. "My love has been avenged." de Rais said, deeply satisfied. "You have brought me the most wonderful of news."

Lily stepped back, letting him move away from the pedestal.

"Tell me about the Cainite Grimoires!" she demanded. de Rais circled the pedestal and touched the book. It responded to the touch, the cover swinging open.

"The greatest source of information ever written. One has to merely ask, answers will be freely given. But it will not relent its hoard so easily. It demands a sacrifice of knowledge and blood." Lily scoffed.

"Let me be the judge of that," she said, her eyes on the book. "Tell me more about what you meant by Evangeline and Jeanne's legacy," she demanded as she turned her attention back to de Rais.

"Why should I?" he laughed in her face. "You come seeking my knowledge and you will pay for it."

"Consider it payment enough I don't cut you to pieces and have the Witchblade feed on your magic. Get on my last nerve and I will not be so generous." de Rais scoffed.

'Destroy him now,' said the Witchblade eagerly. 'I am more than certain we can figure out the trick to the book without his aid.'

Fed up with his arrogance and foul attitude, Lily was inclined to agree with her companion. Given the fact that it looked like the polite negotiations did not bear the fruitful results she had hoped for, she decided to employ a more aggressive strategy. In an instant, she brought her sword up and cut through the his chest. However, she saw that, instead of being absorbed within the Witchblade itself, the corporeal apparition dissipated and entered the sword that was previously wedged between the stones.

'Is it supposed to do that, Jeanne?'

'Most definitely not. I don't think touching the sword would be a good idea.'

Lily decided to ignore the vanished de Rais for now, confident in the Witchblade's abilities to react to anything suspicious, and went to see what the book was about. As she turned her back on the fallen sword, she felt the urge to duck and roll out of the way, just as the sword slashed where her neck would have been. She had to roll several more times, to duck out of the way of the flying weapon. She was about to back herself into a corner avoiding it, when the sword nicked her coat. In that very instant, an angered Witchblade took control over Lily's body, forming the armor just as swiftly, determined not to lose her newest wielder to a possessed sword. With the aid of the tendrils on her left hand, she caught the flying sword and brought it just out of reach of Lily's arm. The offending weapon thrashed and bucked for a second or two, before it fell still and the ethereal form of Gilles de Rais formed.

"You're going to get it now," Lily said in a distorted sing song voice, cocking her head to the side and laughing. "Any last requests before I destroy this vessel of yours? I can't wait to cut you to pieces and take your magic."

"You talk too damn much," he laughed back in her face. "You need my information far too much to risk destroying me, you silly little girl."

"See you in Hell."

In a flash, the Witchblade brought her sword down on the one held by its tendrils, slashing through the blade, pommel and handle, sending the shards clattering on the stone floor. Another set of tendrils shot through de Rais' chest and limbs, anchoring themselves in his spectral flesh. They glowed blue as they started syphoning the apparition, draining it of color. The candles in the room flashed green, as soon as the tendrils absorbed the last of its magic into them.

As the Witchblade relinquished control back to Lily, she felt the tattered wards of the location latch onto her.

'Lily, we have a guest,' the voice of her tenant came out of the blue.

'What on earth do you mean?'

'It would seem that, when I drained the magic keeping the corporeal apparition of Gilles de Rais tied to this plane of existence, I have bound him to us. I was unaware I am able to do that, but I know it is against my wishes. I feel dirty.'

"You don't do anything by half, granddaughter," she heard a voice say from behind her. She turned as fast as she could, bringing the Witchblade's sword en garde. The apparition of the man that stood in front of her looked different. His hair and beard were tidy, his clothes no longer wrinkled, but befitting a man of his stature. Seeing that Lily was about to strike, he raised his hands in a placating gesture. "I assure you I mean you no harm. Not since the other me deduced you are my descendant."

"How about the flying sword that wanted to lop my head off? Was that you meaning me no harm too?" de Rais sighed.

"What you saw moments before was a shard of my full self."

"How is that even possible?" Lily asked, perplexed.

"Ah, so you do not know what a Horcrux is. Perhaps it is for the best. In short, I infused an object with half of my soul, to insure I wouldn't die in order to pursue my vengeance on the House of Potter. By destroying the object, you destroyed its vessel. When the Witchblade absorbed its magic, it managed to call the rest of my soul from beyond the grave."

"That still does not explain why the sword went for my neck."

"A Horcrux's mission is not only to preserve its master's soul, but also to find a way to come back to life. It would appear that it confinement within a runic circle for half a millennium was too much for it, perverting it and bringing it ever closer to the madness it had displayed."

Lily breathed in slowly, counted to five, to ten, to fifty, trying to calm herself down. It didn't seem to work. She affixed her strongest glare at her supposed ancestor.

"Why on Merlin's beard would you put it in the damned sword, in the middle of your library? That is a dangerous enough object on its own, without a crazed part of a soul possessing it."

"You can't simply use a pebble from the side of the road. Such things as Horcruxes require objects of great significance to the caster. I have chosen Jeanne's sword, for reasons of my own."

"Apparently, I am Fate's newest favorite chew toy," Lily said with a deep sigh. "Could you please tell me if you booby trapped the pedestal?" de Rais looked surprised.

"No. Those books have a vile habit of draining the wards and enchantments placed in their nearest vicinity, if the wardstones are not specially shielded and kept at a safe distance."

"Wait, what? Books? As in you have more than one volume of the Cainite Grimoires?"

"In my life, I have managed to acquire four volumes of the collection. Two I found in Myrddin Emrys' tomb in Brocéliande."

"Did you just say you looted Merlin's tomb?" Lily asked, running her hand through her hair in disbelief. "What about the other two?"

"The other two I have stolen fair and square from the Vatican. From the Pope's private collection."

"You did… WHAT?!" Lily's incredulous reaction made de Rais put on an extremely wide grin on his face. She dismissed it. "If one of them is here, where are the other ones?"

"Locked safely in the armory, a couple of doors down the right side of the corridor."

"A logical storage option, given their perilous nature. Lead the way, then."

-section break-

'Do you have any idea how much that man gets on my nerves, Jeanne?' Lily asked, huffing as she pushed the door to the room the untainted ghost of Gilles de Rais has told them would lead to the armory.

'I can assure you I had no intention of binding him to us.'

'Still, having him around might help us move things along faster.'

'It may not be worth it in the long run.'

Once Lily stepped inside the armory, her tenant fell silent. With good reason, as her own jaw almost dropped when she saw the contents of the room. In the very center, there stood a tall stack of golden bricks, flanked by a pair of armor stands. From somewhere behind the stack, Lily felt the pull of a powerful magic, accompanied by the soft whispers of a female voice, calling her by her name and promising her the fall of her enemies. Following the whispers, she found herself in front of a weapon rack.

Among blades of varying shapes and sizes, only one stood out. Its meter long blade was black, with an nigh imperceptible sheen of red across its edges. As she approached the stand, she saw its hilt and pommel giving off a faint glow as they started to morph, before finally settling. Upon closer inspection, she saw the hilt was formed of what looked like two different metals, gold and dark grey, intertwined. The pommel itself was fashioned as two opposing beasts, a lion and an eagle, their heads facing away from each other.

The whispers seemed to be originating from this blade and they were growing louder as Lily got closer. The urge to reach for the sword grew stronger as the seconds passed. Her fingers were an inch from grabbing the hilt when she heard the incessant chiming of the Witchblade, causing her to snap out of it. She drew her hand back, as if it burned.

"Where the hell did you get this, old man?"

"It laid hidden from this world, within Emrys' tomb, just a few rooms from the grimoires," de Rais replied nonchalantly, all the while watching her actions carefully. "It has been enchanted with magic the likes of which I have never seen before. I must admit, I took it on a whim, though I have never wielded it longer than testing it out. It can cut through solid stone, without being damaged. It would have been all too obvious among the mundane sheep."

"Mundanes?"

"People with no form of magic."

"The wizards and witches of england call them Muggles," replied Lily, trying to take her mind off of the compulsion of the sword.

"Hmph. A name fitting for a barely intelligent animal, quaint, yet useless."

"Something like that," Lily agreed. She then looked around, at the amassed riches. "Now, how to take all of this gold out of here?" she said to herself, paying close to no attention to de Rais. "I assume you don't have a room with empty chests, do you?" she asked, as she turned towards him.

"What makes you think that I would allow you to claim everything you want?" Lily scoffed.

"When you were bound to us, I felt the wards latch onto me. There is nothing you can do to prevent it… grandfather." For the first time in centuries, Gilles de Rais smiled with pride.

"You are going to be fun to watch as time passes, Lily Evans. Indeed, you are correct, everything here is yours to do with as you wish. I cannot stop you, nor do I want to even try. There are enough chests to transport over a dozen suits of plate armor in an adjacent room. You might as well use those. But I have no idea how you plan to carry them all. They are quite massive. The gold weighs over half a ton."

"Undetectable Expansion charms, Featherweight charms. I am even considering calling in a very dutiful House Elf to transport them out if here."

'I would recommend employing the space we have used for our training session as an intermediate storage medium,' the Witchblade chimed in.

'That is not meant for transporting things in. Not to mention, I do need an update on my son,' replied Lily.

-section break-

Lily brought the chests in, applied all the necessary charms and started levitating the gold into them. As the last of it was safely stowed away in the expanded chests, the sword's call became desperate.

" _Take me with you and your enemies will not stand a chance. You NEED me!_ "

"Shut up, you annoying toothpick!" Lily growled and turned to face the offending weapon. She manifested the gauntlet, extended her own sword blade and cut through both stand and weapon. She heard the faintest of shrieks, as an aura of black, red and silver rose from the shards and was absorbed into her gauntlet. The gem flashed red, then silver and the Witchblade's sword darkened, widened and thickened.

"I never knew the Witchblade's weapons can evolve this fast," said de Rais, fear in his voice.

"A magical blade like this wouldn't probably evolve as fast in the hands of a non-magical person. Since I came upon it, it has changed three times already." Lily replied, smugly.

She then sealed the chests with her own magical signature and summoned, Evelyn's house elf, Dot. The little creature popped in front of her with an almighty crack, falling on her rear end as she landed.

"How may I be of assistance, Miss Lily?" she asked with a tiny bow.

"Would you be so kind as to help me by taking these chests to Harry's room, back in your Mistress Evelyn's house?" Dot squinted at the large pile of luggage and lowered her eyes in apparent shame.

"I am sorry, Miss Lily. I am afraid I can not do that. Apparating through the wards here has proven to be tiring. Could you please take me outside, so I can leave more easily?"

"That shouldn't be a problem," replied Lily with a shrug. She levitated the luggage and led the elf to the stairs. She then pushed the rune on the stone before the door and escorted her outside. A few moments later, her little helper, having collected herself, made to leave. Before she could pop out of sight, Lily kneeled to be at Dot's eye level.

"Tell your mistress my search is complete," she said as she placed a hand on the house elf's shoulder. "I will return at the appointed time." The little creature nodded her acknowledgement. "How is my baby? How is Harry?" the young mother asked, anxiously.

"Your little one is missing his mommy, but miss Daphne is keeping him company. They have become quite fond of each other and even fell asleep in each other's arms." Lily gave the elf a relieved smile.

"Tell Evie that the chests contain my rightful inheritance from the family my squib ancestors came from." The elf looked appalled.

"Dot would never lie to Mistress Evie for Miss Lily."

"I am being quite truthful, Dot. Would you like to see?" The little elf shook her head.

"If Mistress Evie wants to see the contents of the chests, Dot will obey." With that, Dot Disapparated with the chests in tow.

"Note to self, never doubt a House Elf's devotion to their masters. Will need to look into getting one of my own."

'This place is quite useful as a safe haven, in case of danger,' the Witchblade chimed in as Lily made her way back down the stairs.

'Come to think of it, Jeanne, you are right. Would you be able to draw upon my magic ability to Apparate here, if I can't do so myself? In situations where I should find myself incapacitated or overwhelmed, that is.'

'It would require you to attune yourself to this place's wards, but it can be done.'

-section break-

When Lily returned to the armory, she found that the apparition of Gilles de Rais was nowhere to be seen.

'Where could the old man be? Did you release him, Jeanne?'

'I have not. However, it matter little. Should we need him, we can summoning him, just like you would bring an object to you with your own magical implements.'

'Summon a ghost like I would a handkerchief… now that IS something I can get behind.'

Lily spent a few minutes looking for the books she came here for in the first place and she did eventually find them on a table, covered by an extremely dirty cloth. Just as the one in the library, the volumes displayed the inverted wings design and a varying number of stars on the covers.

"So, these are the first, fourth and seventh volume. The one on the book stand must be the second volume. Now… how to transport them without raising any suspicion."

'Why not try decreasing their size? Then place them in your backpack, just like any other object.'

'I thought de Rais said they absorb and drain enchantments placed on them. I doubt any sort of charm would take hold.'

'And you take his word for it? We won't know until we try and see. An easy proof of his honesty.'

Lily drew her wand, pointed it at the first volume and said " _Reducio!_ " The charm should have reduced the boulder sized book to the size of a pebble. Yet, the book absorbed it in an instant. Undeterred, Lily shrunk one of the empty armor chests, making it large enough to house the four volumes. She stacked them inside it, laying them one on top of the other, and attempted to shrink it even further, to the size of a matchbox. The chest decreased to only the size of a large jewel box instead. As she tried to pick it up, she realized that it had lost none of its weight.

'That's a new one… it's smaller, but it has not lost any of its weight.'

'That matters not, Lily. Seal it, so no one can get into it.'

" _Colloportus_!" She heard the mechanism lock in place. Once locked, she stored it at the bottom of her slightly enlarged backpack. 'Come to think of it, there is one more thing I want to take from here - the metal shards of the sword that was trying to lure me. Xan may be able to point me in the direction of someone who could reforge it. If it is so durable, it would be a shame to let it go to waste.'

'A bold choice,' said the Witchblade. 'It could prove extremely useful, having a fighting implement that does not rely on magic.'

A few seconds later, all the shards were safely tucked away in an enlarged pocket in her backpack. She gave the place a once over, seeing if there is anything else that might have been worth taking, before finally deciding to do leave it for a later visit.

Lily reemerged in the clearing and noticed the lengthening shadows.

'It took us almost the entire day to pick up books and gold.'

'And I suspect you can't wait to get back to Nantes and to your son.'

The Witchblade's declaration sounded almost sarcastic and Lily tried her best not to burst into laughter. She applied her Jane Darcy glamour and let it fall under the control of her tenant.

'We still have a full day until we have to get there. I would rather spend it in Nantes, until we have to meet up with Evie's people and return back to England,' Lily replied.

She readjusted her backpack, to compensate for the added weight of the Cainite Grimoires hidden within.

-section break-

A couple of hours later, Lily arrived at Saint Martin des Tilleuls, at the train station. It was close to 7.30 in the evening. She made her way to one of the ticket booths and demanded a ticket on the first train to Nantes.

"You must be joking, Mademoiselle," the frazzled employee in the ticket booth said, as he gave her a scathing look. "Didn't you see the news? There has been an accident on the line outside of Nantes. It should be cleared out by morning, but, until then, there is no train to Gare de Nantes. If you are really in a hurry, I can sell you a ticket to Saint Sébastien sur Loire. All you need to do once you arrive is to take a bus to the city's center. You should arrive in Nantes by midnight."

"I'll take that route then," Lily said with a huff, as she paid the ticket.

"Have a nice trip, Mademoiselle," the man said, as she made her way to the waiting room.

-section break-

Jane Darcy got on the 8 PM train to Saint Sébastien sur Loire, with no indication of how long it would actually take to get there. She definitely couldn't get off at the last stop, as it was not the end of the line and the train wouldn't stay in the station too long. She decided she would have to ask someone to point out where she needed to get off.

Still, she didn't actually notice how exhausted she really felt, until she took her seat on the train. Given the day's events, she dozed off in an instant. She had no idea when she woke up and thought she might have missed her stop. She pulled out the map she had from Evie, but it either needed a bit of time to focus on her location or the damn thing decided to stop working properly.

"I am sorry, do you know if we passed Saint Sébastien sur Loire?" she tried asking a fellow traveller. The man looked at her, blinked once and shrugged.

"Perdoname señorita, pero yo no entiendo." There was no one else in the car with them.

'FUCK!' Lily said to herself, picked her luggage up and got off the train at the first stop. She would ask someone else at the train station.

The sign above the platform said she arrived at La Chapelle-Heulin. Lily made her way to the ticket booth to ask for directions, but found it closed. She thought it odd and checked the clock on the wall. It was close to 9 PM. She checked the schedule, only to find that the train she just got off of was the last one that night. She pulled the map out once more, hoping it would give her some indication of the best direction to go in. Nothing stood out at first glance.

'Do you know anything about the area we are in?' Lily asked her tenant.

'If memory serves,' Jeanne replied,' in this part of France, there are a number of Veela villages, hidden from the eyes of Muggles, as you call them. As their race is native to the Eastern part of Europe, I would suggest to see if there is any small settlement with a name that would indicate that origin.' Upon a more thorough check of the map, Lily saw a barely visible name that did not sound French in the least. It was written in cyrillic - Скрито Село.

'I won't even try to read this name, but I guess this is it.'

'It is quite close by, so it wouldn't hurt to try our luck,' Jeanne said. 'If this fails, I guess we will need to politely ask someone to deliver us to the city. That is, if anyone understands your request.'

'Aren't you a funny one?' Lily replied and made in the direction of the village, down a road guarded on either side by tall trees.

Not five minutes from the train station, she heard cries for help, coming from a little way from the road. As she closed in to the source of the sounds, she couldn't see anything at all. Yet, she did hear muffled mutterings of what sounded like several men speaking in English and a woman sobbing. She extracted the Invisibility Cloak from her backpack and put it on, disappearing into thin air.

'I do not think we should interfere, Lily,' the Witchblade suddenly advised.

'She sounds in trouble. And I believe we can take them.'

'It is not wise, in our current situation.'

'Why is that?'

'Both your reserves and mine are low. You have had little time to rest since we left Tiffauges.'

'I got enough on the train. Now, if their Notice-me-not charm is anything to go by, their magical skill is not anything to write home about. Can you get past it?' Lily asked.

'Like you don't know the answer,' Jeanne said.

Lily summoned the gauntlet and extended a single claw. She found the edge of the area the charm affected and she gently stroked it until she found the weakest spot, which she poked with the claw. It felt almost paper thin, crumbling as soon as the claw broke through.

'If you would judge the quality of the spell work,' said Jeanne, 'the one who casted this charm is definitely a novice.'

'I thought you wanted to get this over with fast,' Lily replied.

'Take a moment to investigate your surroundings before a battle. It always gives ample amounts of information about your enemies and any environmental elements you might employ in your fight against an unknown enemy. These individuals are novices or in a hurry. They have set up a mockery of a charm and they did not link any alarms to it either. With your current energy reserves, you should have no problems removing them from this world.'

'All that from a single poke. Impressive! Fine, let me see what we are up against.'

Lily peeked from behind a tree to see a woman and a child, a girl, bruised and chained, as well as four men. Two of them had the burly build and tan of sailors. The third looked like he was in his early twenties, almost skin and bones, with an ashen complexion. The fourth one was clean shaven and dressed to the nines, with a heavy golden ring on his finger and leaning on a cane. They didn't look nor sounded French. The brutes had a thick British accent, while the other two came off as American.

"You've seen them goods, time to talk 'bout da price," one of the brutes said.

"Veels sure'd fetch a nice bit o' coin 'n Egypt. Ya see, they don't get a lot o' them in those parts, if ya know wha' I mean," the skinnier man said, with a wink.

"Would you shut your damn mouth, Bones?' the man in the suit whispered. "You moron, keep talking and they'll jack the price up. The Boss won't like that."

"Righto, Mr. Cane…"

"And it's Veelas, you nitwit, not veels."

"I don't mean to interrupt, but we need to conclude our business here, gentlemen," the other brute said.

"How do I know they're the real stuff and you're not just selling a painted whore?" said Mr. Cane. "I want to know we're getting our gold's worth."

"Why dontcha lemme take one for a test drive, if ya know wha' I mean?" Bones asked, with a wink.

"So da gentleman would like to sample them goods first," the first brute said with a smirk. "I believe we can work something out. A small deposit towards da… taste test… and yer can take yer pick."

"Here," replied Mr. Cane, as he tossed them a heavy gold coin. "If I'm satisfied, there's going to be a lot more where that came from."

"Aw, maaaan," cried out Bones, as he kicked a pebble on the ground. "I wanna go as well. Not fair ya gets to sample all them goods."

"One word, you idiot. 'Seniority'. Now, if you would be so kind to shut your damn mouth and stand guard," came Cane's instructions

"Aye bloody aye," the underling said, as he turned his back, rubbing his crotch, to try and tame his own urges.

"Just fucking do it, imbecile, and I might let you have your fun later on." He directed his attention the little girl. "Hello sweetie," he addressed her in a mock comforting voice, all the while unbuttoning his coat. "This your first time? Don't squirm and you will be alright. I want this to last as long as possible. Put up a fight and you might lose a couple teeth. Play nice and I might even Obliviate you at the end."

The girl eyed him in terror as he approached. She tried to kick back, but to no avail. Then it happened. An odd noise, like a deafening whip crack, followed by a dull thud. She had been so focused on the man currently unzipping his pinstripe trousers before her, that it took more than a couple of seconds that the man that had been standing next to her assailant had been inexplicably yanked from his position and flung into a tree, where he was impaled upon a branch.

Too surprised to scream, she stared at the men around her realized something was amiss. They scrambled frantically with their wands out, trying to figure out where the attack came from, firing curses blindly all around them, hoping to hit something, then stood in waiting. Seeing nobody retaliated, the flesh mongers breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"Must've scared them off," one of the brutes said, putting his wand away.

"Sorry for your loss, Mr. Cane," said the second,

"Nobody will miss that blockhead. He outlived his usefulness. Now, where were we again, sweetie?" Cane asked as he turned to his would be purchase. "Ah, yes," he said, as he unzipped his pants. "Be quiet and I might let you enjoy it. Fidget and scream, and you will get hurt." He pulled his half engorged phallus out and gave it a stroke.

"AIDEZ-MOI!" the girl screamed and kicked at his feet and knees as he got in close, only to be on the receiving end of a heavy backhanded slap from Cane, knocking her out.

"CONNARD!" the mother cried out, as he was about to enter her little girl. One of the brutes slapped her hard enough, that a rivulet of blood came from the corner of her mouth.

"Quiet, woman!" the other brute said. "You will get your turn, soon enough!" The look on her eyes was not one of fear, but of pure rage.

"I would strongly suggest you put that… thing away," a distorted voice came out of the dark. Cane put his member back in and zipped up his pants, before pulling out his wand and turning to look for the intruder.

"Who the hell are you!? Show your self, if you know what's good for you."

"Or what?" came the distorted voice, apparently from the other side of where they heard it first. All three shot multicolored curses towards the spot. "Oh, missed!" This time the voice came from behind them. Again, the men shot in its direction.

"Tired of living, are ya?" one of the brutes bellowed.

"Tired, yes. YAWN It has been a long day," the distorted voice said with a sigh. "And the three of you are terrible shots. Let me make things a little easier for you."

A slim figure in a hooded cloak seemed to materialise out of thin air. It was standing next to the impaled corpse of Bones, with its face obscured by the darkness of the night. The men started firing a string of incapacitating spells and curses, but the figure bobbed and weaved through the different color beams. When the barrage finally stopped, the figure cocked its head and waved an armored hand in a 'come hither' gesture.

The woman shuddered, realising that the distorted voice was that of Death's and far more worthy of her fear than the men standing around her. Dodging that amount of spellfire was beyond a Veela like her, even in her avian form. It seemed to be a lot smarter than its opponents, or at least more aware of its position on the battleground, its movement easily making them stumble and trip over each other. In the chaos, the men left both her and her daughter unsupervised. As they were still chained up, there was nowhere to go, all the little girl could do was to bury her head in her mother's bosom and sob loudly. What the Veela found even more unnerving was the fact that their savior was enjoying the battle, laughing with the same distortion its voice had when it spoke. Its movements were so fast, having a certain fluidity and… elegance, a fact confirmed by the pirouette during which it discarded its cloak in. It was a woman unlike other, all clad in what looked like metallic armor, her head hidden inside a rounded helmet.

"Time to end this," she said, as she seemed to summon a sword blade out of the gauntlet on her right hand and a spear out of the one on the left hand. One of the brutes didn't display any self preservation instinct, shooting a curse that barely missed the woman's head. When she didn't react, he came right for her, as if to tackle her, only to find… nothing but air. As he spun around, the last thing he saw was the sharp end of the spear penetrating his left eye. A spurt of blood gushed forth from the back of the man's head, snapping it back with a loud crunch. He turned to face his partner, albeit awkwardly, and fell to the ground, dead before crying out in pain or even noticing what had happened to him.

'A mercy he didn't deserve,' the Veela thought to herself.

The strange woman dismissed the spear and uncoiled what appeared to be metal tendrils from her left gauntlet. At the sight at the development, the second brute attempted to make a run for it. Just as he was about to Disapparate out of there, the tendrils shot forward and wrapped around his upper limbs and throat. Before the man could utter a sound, the tendrils ripped off his arms and crushed his windpipe. As the tendrils retreated, the corpse flopped down with a wet thud.

The Veela felt a sudden urge to retch, but she forced it down and tightened her arms around her little girl, hoping that their would-be savior was not just another slaver, muscling in on a rival group. She saw Cane's face cringe in realization, looking like he understood the danger he was in. He muttered something under his breath. He raised his arms. The woman flicked her sword and the wand flew out of his hand.

"Alright! ALRIGHT! You made your damn point!" he yelled. "Let me go and you can have them!"

The bewildered Veela looked in awe as her savior stepped aside to let the slaver pass. She wondered if her captor was that stupid that he really believed he would be able to walk away unscathed, or if the woman would be stupid enough to believe the slaver would depart peacefully. As the man drew level with the woman who had already slaughtered his confederates, she noticed a flash of silver going straight for her saviour's face. The woman didn't blink, nor did she move to avoid it. Instead, the man's whole arm, alongside the small knife he had in his hand, dropped into the grass. He started thrashing in agony, blood spraying out of the stump of his arm. In an instant, metal tendrils sprouted from her gauntlet. One tendril pierced his genital area, the rest of them wrapped around his remaining limbs and started pulling the man apart. Hellish screams filled the air. Eventually, the tendrils released him. His bloody torso fell to the ground, struggling to breathe.

"What the hell are you, bitch?!" he managed a gargled question.

"You will not live long enough to remember my name," she said in the same distorted voice she had spoke previously.

The blade retreated the gauntlet, which then faded from view, along with the armor and rounded helmet. She had long blonde hair, black pants and black leather spool heel boots, a white shirt and a dark blue overcoat. With her back at them, the strange woman drew a wand. With a wave, their bonds broke. A second wave and the dismembered corpses of their captors were all piled up. With a third, their savior's clothes were once again gore free. The fourth wave had no discernable results. At last, the woman turned and spoke to the Veela and her daughter.

"Are you alright?" she asked in English. Her voice sounded absolutely normal. The mother nodded. "I happened by this place out of pure chance. Be glad I did. If there is one thing I hate most in this world is rapists and slavers."

Before the Veela could answer, the woman saw something move with the corner of her eye. A pinkish-red red curse flew towards her head. Without even looking, the woman's hand rose, caught the beam and seemingly crushed it in the palm of the gauntlet that had covered her hand and forearm out of the blue. As she turned to face the new threat, the Veela saw her eyes turn black and green.

"The bravest of the bunch, attacking my blind spot, and invisible no less." The woman's voice reverberated oddly. "You could have left without me ever knowing you were still can do just that."

"You have cost me a small fortune tonight! And I will make you pay!" a squeaky voice came from somewhere near the corpses.

"Come out, little mouse, and you will receive your payment in full." The strange woman laughed, the reverberations in her voice sending chills down the Veela's spine.

Suddenly, she saw the knife that Cane dropped being levitated off the grass and zoom straight for her daughter. Before it could reach the girl, she jumped in front of it. The weapon embedded in her chest.

A tendril formed once again around the armored gauntlet of her rescuer. The woman extended it as much as possible, and, with a pirouette, swept it across the entire battlefield. The tip of the tendril wrapped around the seemingly invisible assailant. He started struggling, as the tendril syphoned off the Disillusionment Charm he had placed on himself. As the woman reeled the tendril in, bringing him close, she saw he was a tiny man, old and bald, completely unremarkable, save for a very mousey face.

"Well, mouse… you had a chance to scurry away and you blew it," sad the woman. Before she could continue, he spat in her face. "Slaver filth!" was her words to him, as the gauntlet on her left hand formed, complete with sharp metallic claws, which she then dug into his chest, the man's face locked in a mask of agony. The hand drew back in an explosion of blood and cardiac muscle tissue. The mouse's corpse fell to the ground.

The woman turned to the two veelas, kneeling to inspect the knife wound. The little girl was frozen in shock, having come so close to being enslaved, raped and even murdered, all in the span of a couple of hours.

"I'm a healer, let me check the wound," she said in the calmest voice possible, though a slight tremble in her voice did betray the sense of worry. "Hopefully, I can stop the bleeding long enough to buy us time to get you to someone in Nantes…" The Veela raised her hand, shook her head and coughed, blood dripping at the corner of her mouth.

"Don't… punctured… lung…" she said, wheezing between each word. Her daughter's eyes were tearing up. "Don't… cry…"

"I'm sorry," whispered Lily.

"Owe you… our lives… a Life Debt… must… pay…" the Veela managed to say, wincing with each word. Lily shook her head.

"I can't accept it. I have done nothing that would deserve it…" The woman coughed again, more blood coming from her mouth this time around.

"Your… name?" she asked.

"Lily."

"Lily… refuse… and my Celly… will lose… her magic." Lily lowered her eyes and cursed at the strange development.

"Alright… I will take your daughter as a ward of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter. As she grows up, she will be my son's defender."

The Veela smiled at Lily and reached for her her daughter, caressing her hair. The child was sobbing quietly. Lily's heart almost broke at the sight, hoping she wouldn't have to submit Harry to the same any time soon.

"We owe… this woman… a Life Debt. You… have… to fulfill it." The girl nodded shakily and looked at Lily.

"You made it rain blood," she said in a weak voice and burrowed her head in her mother's neck, crying all the while. Due to exhaustion or to shock, she quickly fell asleep in that position. The Veela motioned Lily to come closer.

"Swear… to me… that Celly… will… only… protect… the boy," she whispered. With the wand gripped in her blood-covered hand, Lily looked her in the eye.

"What's your daughter's full name?" she asked

"Celestine de la Serre," the Veela whispered.

"I, Lily Evans-Potter, hereby swear on my magic that Celestine de la Serre will only be Harry James Potter's defender, until he comes of age. I swear that I or he shall release her from her duties at that time. So mote it be." After her vow was complete, she looked at the Veela, which didn't seem to be long for this world. "Please, tell me your name."

"Camille…" the Veela replied and breathed her last.

With adrenaline fading from her system, Lily turned to the unconscious girl. She shakily disentangled her arms from her mother's neck, levitated the Veela's body and wrapped it in her Invisibility Cloak. She then picked the girl up, trying to think of a way of letting her know her mother would never be able to hold her ever again. Being a mother herself, she abhorred the very idea of the girl growing up an orphan.

'I will care for her as best I can,' Lily made a final silent promise.

'Shrewd thinking, Lily,' Jeanne intervened, with a gleeful tone in her voice. 'Having someone watch over your son will make your mission to trim the tree a bit go so much smoother. Not to mention, from my knowledge about Veelas, most people think that having a Veela incur a Life Debt is an automatic offer of sexual submission.'

'What?!'

'Who knows, she might teach Harry a couple things. Might even help you relieve some stress.'

'Is there a mute button on you?'

-section break-

The gates of the Veela Village were made of wrought iron and weathered wood. Given the late hour, Lily found that they were, unsurprisingly, locked. With a child in her arms and an invisible corpse floating behind her, she knew she would not be able to do anything. So, she gently set them both down and knocked on the wooden door, hoping she would gain someone's attention. When nothing happened, she resorted to kicking the door. A couple of minutes later, a woman finally came out, warily. When she spotted Lily, she looked at her with an air of disgust.

"You have to get help, this girl," Lily said as she picked Celestine up in her arms again, "was almost…" The Veela closed the door before she could finish her sentence. "…kidnapped by slavers. Shit!" Lily put the girl back down and started banging on the door. The Veela opened once more.

"Qu'est-ce que tu veux?" she asked.

"How about you open the damn gate and help her!?" Lily said. The Veela moved to close the door again, but Lily put her hand on the door. "She needs a warm bed for the night!" The Veela slammed the door shut.

'I do believe it is time for a show of force,' suggested Jeanne. 'Sword or claws?'

'What for?' asked Lily.

'Do you want to cut through the gate or tear it down to pieces?'

'I think you should sit this one out. I don't want this to end in a bloodbath.' Lily raised her wand and knocked again. No answer. "I tried being polite. _Bombarda Maxima_!"

That seemed to draw everybody's attention, as Veelas poured on the road, to see what was the cause of the ruckus. Some had already transformed in their harpy-like avian form, with a fireball in one of their clawed hands, a thin long curved sword in the other.

"I come in peace," Lily said, stowing away her wand and raising her hands. Two of the transformed Veelas started moving in closer to her. They looked like the village guards.

"Arrêtez!" barked one of the women. She looked to be in her 40's and had a stern look on her face, fitting of the village chief or some other form of local authority, as the guards extinguished their fireballs and lowered their swords. She made her way through the ranks of inhabitants and asked Lily something in French. Rolling her eyes, Lily pulled her wand out. The sudden movement made the guards reignite the fiery spells, but the woman raised her hand, stopping them in place, giving Lily time to cast a translation charm on herself.

"Could you please what you just said, Ma'am?" she asked. "I don't speak French, but I should be able to understand you now."

The woman motioned for the inhabitants to disperse. All of them returned to their homes, except for the guards, who stayed behind. They did not revert to their human form.

"I asked you why you decided to blow up the gate."

"I blew it up to get your attention," replied Lily, quite angry. "Your gate guard decided to ignore one of your own who is in need of assistance."

"You don't look, nor sound like a Veela," the woman said dryly.

"Not me, but her," said Lily, as she kneeled to pick up Celestine. "I can't believe you and your neighbours would shrug her off, not without listening to what I had to say."

"You can talk to the Village Chief. She will decide what to do with you."

"Fine. Let me put the gate back up and we'll go talk to your chief."

She raised her wand once more and, before repairing the gate, she levitated and snuck the invisible corpse of Camille inside the village boundaries. Once every splinter and metal shard of the gate was back in its proper place, Lily turned and followed the Veela, with Celestine in her arms and her mother following close behind her. The Veela led her to a slightly larger house near the center of the village. She stopped just before the door.

"Leave your wand here and you may go in," she said. Lily did not object and relinquished it. The Veela then opened the door and motioned her in. "You may enter."

The door was closed behind her, Lily found herself alone in a large hallway. She heard music coming from the room at the end of the corridor. She called out, but no one came, so, she went in, only for her jaw to drop.

An old looking woman, garbed in a pale blue dress and a silver-gray house coat, was dancing. It was no ordinary dance, as she spinned on her toes and twirled the same type of swords the guards had. Her movements matched the music. She appeared to be in a state akin to a trance. Lily was enthralled by the speed and grace with which the old lady spun the swords. The metal blades, sharp enough to cut limbs off, moved fast enough to make it look like she was encased in a thin metallic bubble.

The old Veela stopped twirling when the song ended, but Lily couldn't tell how long she had stared at her. She finally snapped out when the old woman cleared her throat loudly. Only then did she realise she still had Celestine in her arms and Camille's corpse safely set on the sofa.

"Welcome to my home. My name is Adrianne" The Veela had her back at Lily. Her voice was icy cold. She didn't seem to take the interruption lightly. "It is late, what brings you…" she started asking as she turned to see her unwanted guest. The question was never finished, because she saw who Lily had in her arms. "Mon Dieu, Celestine!" She ran to the little girl, worry on her face. "Please, set her down on this arm chair. Gently… What happened? Where did you find her? What of Camille?" Lily moved to the sofa and pulled the Invisibility Cloak off of the Camille's dead body.

"I found them less than a mile outside the village, under a Notice-me-not ward. They had been abducted by slavers who tried to sell them into slavery and prostitution. The clients tried to force himself on Celestine, while her mother was going to be forced to watch and probably be subjected to the same treatment, when they had their way with her daughter. I made sure all four of them will not be a problem. The problem is…" Lily sighed as she drew a hand through her glamoured hair, "I wasn't fast enough, nor did I take into account any invisible threats. And Camille paid the price for it. There was a fifth slaver, hidden, that attempted to take the girl's life. She jumped in front of the knife. Needless to say, he met his end as well. Before succumbing to her wound, Camille said she had a Life Debt to settle. It would seem that it has now fallen to Celly." Adrienne swore.

"Did you accept?" she asked, her eyes flashing silver.

"From what I understood from her," Lily replied, "if I didn't accept, Celestine would lose her magic. For some, that would be a blessing. For some, a curse. It was not for me to decide her fate. Yet, the girl did accept it as well."

"What did you ask for?"

"I asked that Celestine serve only as my son's defender until he comes of age and is legally recognized as such."

"A duty she will fulfill with utmost loyalty…" Adrienne said, as she slowly caressed Celestine's hair. A few seconds later, she stopped and stepped outside. Lily heard her open the door and call for someone. "Sophie, Anne, could you please join us?" Moments later, three Veelas entered the room. "Sophie, could you please take Camille's body to the Healer's hut? And bring him here. Quietly, please! Anne, would you kindly fetch our guest something to eat and keep her company for a short while?" Both Sophie and Anne nodded and did as she requested. Adrienne then picked up Celestine and made to exit the room.

"Where are you going?" asked Lily.

"Hope you don't mind me putting my granddaughter to bed, do you? We'll talk shortly," the Veela replied and went upstairs. Lily had nothing else to do but wait for her.

Anne returned with a plate of food and a glass of red wine and set on the coffee table. She leaned on a wall and watched quietly as their guest was eating. Moments later, Sophie returned with the village healer, which was directed to go upstairs. Shortly after that, Adrienne came down and dismissed her two helpers. She then turned to Lily.

"I'm sure you have questions. As do I." Lily bowed her head, the green of her eyes darkening.

"Why were Camille and her daughter outside the village at this hour?" she asked. Adrienne slumped in her chair.

"Camille had Celestine little over 9 years ago with a mundane law enforcement officer from Nantes. Normally, Veelas are allowed to mate only with people with magical powers. Celly's… lineage wasn't noticed until recently, when her Veela powers did not manifest themselves, even years after showing regular magic abilities. The only thing the Village Council could do was to banish them when this came to light. To my great shame, I couldn't oppose this punishment, even though I am the Village Leader. If I had, maybe those slavers wouldn't have killed Camille." Adrienne wiped a tear from her eye. "Please promise me Celly will be alright."

"I promise. I will teach her all I can and, for what I can't, I will arrange for proper training."

"I hope you will also teach her manners. You still have not introduced yourself, but you do have extenuating circumstances."

"My name is Lily Evans-Potter."

"Well, Lily Evans-Potter, I expect you will teach better manners than what you display. I heard you blew up the gate to get in the village."

"In my defense, I did try knocking politely. After I was ignored for over half an hour, I decided to make sure everybody heard that. I do believe fear always gets people off their rear ends."

"I see. That is both good and bad. Should I be worried my granddaughter will be in your care?"

"I am on a mission of a… personal nature. I can not make any promises. Though I will do my best to keep her out of trouble."

"I guess that will have to do. For now."

They sat in silence for a couple of minutes, when Lily felt the urge to ask something.

"Where did you learn to dance that way? I have heard about sword dancers, but I haven't seen any in real life."

"Dancing is part of Veelas' life and culture. The faint of heart of our people use ribbons, though the bolder ones prefer the sword. A dance from our motherland. I learned it from my grandmother who learned it from hers."

"Would you be able to teach me?" Lily asked.

"You? No. But I could teach it to Celestine."

"Alas, I need to get back to Britain in the shortest time possible."

"Then I would suggest you leave Celly here for a fortnight. She should be able to pick up the basics in that time, all she would need to do would be to practice."

Lily took a look at the grandfather clock. It chimed midnight. The healer came down from Celestine's room.

"She will be alright, though I would recommend plenty of rest for now," said the healer and bid them good night. Adrienne walked her out.

"Then it's settled," said Lily, when the Veela returned. "I will let Celly here to recover and to learn the sword dance." Adrienne nodded in agreement. "One more thing. May I bother you for a bed tonight? And, if possible, for a Floo trip to Nantes in the morning?"

"I am sure we can arrange something. Do you wish to speak with Celestine before you go to sleep?"

"Sure." Lily followed her upstairs. "Hey, little one. How do you feel?" she asked when she entered the bedroom. The girl shook her head.

"My mommy is gone. She said that you saving us means we owe you something." Lily sighed, passed her hand through the child's hair and nodded.

"Yes. I asked your mommy for something simple - someone to be my son's defender until he comes of age."

"I'm sorry that you have to go through this," Adrienne said, putting a hand on top the girl's. Celestine shook her head.

"I'm happy to work for her, Grandmother," she said, lowering her eyes. "I'll miss my mommy."

 _November 4th_

At 7 AM next morning, Lily was already packed and ready to leave. She came down the stairs to be met by Adrienne.

"Sit down, eat," she said in a stern voice when she saw her. The Veela placed a plate of fried… something on the table. It looked deep fried.

"I thought French people eat pastries at breakfast. May I ask what this is?"

"Mekitsa. A traditional Bulgarian breakfast food," the woman said as she brought up jars of jam and honey and small bowls of crumbly soft cheese and yogurt. "You have a long way ahead of you, you need a hearty breakfast. And a lot healthier than what your people eat. Beans and sausages for breakfast?"

"Thanks," Lily said and sat down to eat.

"Drink it. Ayran," Adrienne brought her a glass. Lily took a gulp. It was a salty soft yogurt, which she found oddly delicious. "Now. I have arranged for someone to take you to Nantes. It's a short drive away, not worth a Floo trip. Not in those fancy clothes of yours."

"As long as I get there by 9, I don't think there should be a problem. And you do know I am a witch right? Still, I want to thank you very much for your kindness."

"Don't mention it. It's the least I can do for you," the Veela said with a tiny smile on her face. "Now, I will have Celestine ready in a fortnight, as promised. You need to take care of the legalities."

"I will, don't worry. Celestine will be in good hands, I don't mean to put her in any unnecessary danger."

"Good. Your driver awaits." Lily was about to leave when Celestine came running down the stairs.

"Wait!"

"Good morning, Celly. You look better," Lily said with a smile.

"Do you have to go now?"

"Yes, sweetie, I have to go back to my son. You will meet him soon."

"Do I have to go now as well?" Celly asked, slightly teary eyed. "I haven't said goodbye to anyone yet."

"Not yet. The healer said you need to rest a little longer. And your Grandmother has something to teach you." The news put a little smile on the girl face. "I will have a friend pick you up in two weeks."

"Okay."

"Delay your departure any longer and you will arrive late for your meeting in Nantes," Adrianne chimed in.

"Right. Good bye."

It was 7.30 AM. Outside, was a simply dressed man was waiting for her, besides a white-and-blue car, a two tone Ford Anglia. The car seemed to be barely holding together. The man took Lily's backpack, placed it in the trunk and opened the door for her to get in. To her surprise, the interior was magically expanded and adjusted to resemble a lavish limousine. The ride was smoother than expected, as the car seemed to be able to weave in and out of traffic seamlessly, much like the Knight Bus. Her chauffeur was oddly quiet, but, then again, she wasn't in the mood to chit chat. They arrived at the Nantes Douanes magiques with a full hour to spare.

Lily collected her backpack and thanked the driver, before he pulled away. She entered the building and took a seat in the waiting room. Not a quarter of an hour later, the rest of the group she arrived with showed up, followed by a couple large containers, levitating behind them.

"Just the people I wanted to see. Good morning, everybody," Lily greeted them.

"Good morning, Jane," replied Theodosius. "Did you achieve your goals?"

"That and more. Listen," Lily said quietly, as she pulled him aside, "I did find what I was here to find. The only problem, it would seem to be impervious to any concealment charm I can think of."

"Don't worry," he said, in the same whispered voice. "Mrs. Greengrass already thought of that possibility. There is a hidden compartment in the cheese container. You can use that. The cheeses have already been charmed to be practically weightless." Lily almost laughed at this news.

"Good old Evie…" she said, smiling widely. "She thought of pretty much everything."

Seconds later, the Cainite Grimoires were safely stowed away in the fake bottom of the container filled to the top with French cheeses, with the lid left slightly cracked on purpose to let the smell sneak through.

"Time for the outgoing formalities."

The customs officers carefully checked all of the paperwork and their luggage. Then they turned their attention to the containers, and, though she didn't want to admit it, Lily was beside herself with worry. However, after catching a whiff of the stinky contents of the containers, they quickly backed off. The last stop was the wand checkup, where the group relinquished their wands to have the trace placed on them on orders of the Bureau de la Magie removed. Once again, Lily presented James' wand, which she never used while she was in France. Oddly, the officers didn't think this to stand out as strange at all.

After the procedures were completed, it was time to depart. The group grabbed onto the same large silver platter the arrived by and instantly transported back to the Greengrass Imports offices, where a large eared elf was waiting for them.

"Dot? Is everything OK?"

"Mistress Evie asked me to let her know when you arrived. An urgent owl arrived for you. Also, someone knows you have taken up temporary residence with Mistress Evie. They are at the manor, waiting for your arrival. They look to be extremely worried."

Without a word, Lily retrieved the books from cheese container, bid the group farewell, and promptly Disapparated alongside Dot. Unfortunately, it seemed that the Grimoires' aura affected her transport method. Instead of Apparating in her room in the Greengrass Manor, she landed in the woods she found herself in a couple of nights ago.

'Good thing we didn't Apparate from France,' Lily said, half annoyed, half relieved.

'Indeed,' replied Jeanne. 'Otherwise, we might have rematerialised back in the middle of the English Channel.'

She walked the rest of the way to the manor, where Evelyn was waiting for her.

"What happened, why didn't you arrive with Dot?"

"Short version? The Cainite Grimoires. I found them and they enjoy consuming magic from any spell cast around them."

"You mean… you found more than one?" Evelyn asked shocked. Lily nodded. "We've got time enough to study them later. You, my dear have guests," she said as she led Lily to the living room and opened the door, where Sirius Black and Remus Lupin were waiting for her.

'Drop my disguise please.' she asked her tenant.

Sirius and Remus gaped. "THAT is one helluva glamour Lily."

Lily ignored the remark "Why are you here?"

Sirius sighed, and dropped in an armchair. "Shit has really hit the fan, Lily. Frank and Alice were attacked, Moody's missing a leg and eye, and Barty Crouch got killed while conducting an interrogation."

Lily drew a hand through her hair, and dropped onto the couch. "Start at the beginning."

 **A.N : This chapter may have ended in a cliffhanger, but it's a 25k wall of text. Till next time folks.**


	10. Chapter 8 - Wheels are turning

**A.N: We are sorry for taking this long *bowing and scraping most pitifully*, but we were struck by the worst illness known to man *dramatic pause*….. LAZYNESS *omminous lightning sounds*…. Now that I have gone through with the theatrics, this is the wall of text also known as chapter 8**

 **Chapter 8: Wheels are turning**

 _How will you breathe when their wheels are turning? / How will you know if the sky is burning?_

 **November 1st 10:00 AM**

 _ **Remus Lupin**_

As the sun rose over the sleeping village of Godric's Hollow, Remus Lupin approached the one house he knew all too well, as it belonged to his friend and fellow Marauder. In the light of dawn, it looked nothing like the place he knew. The door had been blown off its hinges, the walls around the entrance were cracked and all the downstairs windows were blown out. He made for the gate, but he was promptly stopped by an Auror.

"My best friend lives here. What happened?" Remus demanded of the man and tried to push through.

"I am sorry, sir," the Auror replied, putting a hand up, "but you have to step back. This is an active crime scene. No one is allowed in."

"WHAT?! Who died? JAMES! LILY!" Remus shouted, all the way struggling to get past the guard. The man pushed him away with incredible ease,

"I gather you knew the people who lived here. I am terribly sorry for your loss, but I still can't allow you to enter."

"Is there anything you can tell me about what happened? Is James OK?" The Auror drew a hand through his greying hair.

"Lord Potter put up quite a valiant fight. The damage on the ground floor was caused by him and the intruder. We found his body in the living room."

"Merlin's ghost! What about Lily? The baby? Where's Harry?"

"There's no sign of them. Only the corpse of the intruder."

"Intruder? Who? Where?"

"Unknown. His body was found in the baby's room."

"Why weren't you able to identify him?" Remus asked.

"Because someone splattered the intruder's head all over the nursery floor, after removing it with a blade," the Auror replied. The werewolf shook his head in bewilderment.

'Could Lily have removed the intruder's head? And how? I don't remember her owning a sword or ever being trained in swordsmanship,' he asked himself. "At least can you tell me how James died?"

"By the magical signature readings, it was instantaneous. Most likely the Killing Curse. I am sorry, but that is all I can tell you for now. The investigation is still in progress."

"Thank you for the information, Auror," Remus replied with a sigh. "I'll take my leave now."

Remus wasn't feeling ready to return to his Yorkshire abode, so he decided to mindlessly wonder around the village for a while longer, trying to make sense of what he had just learned. James was dead, killed with the Killing Curse by an unknown intruder, who had been beheaded. Lily and Harry were both missing, with the Aurors possibly pretending to not have any clues as to their whereabouts.

'Do Padfoot and Wormtail know?' he asked himself pacing nervously on the deserted streets of Godric's Hollow. Another Death Eater attack and murder, and this time in their own backyard, meant absolutely no one was on the streets. 'No, I just found out this morning, doubt they would have heard anything this soon. But how? The only way the Death Eaters could have found them would be if someone betrayed them. Their Secret Keeper… no… he wouldn't. Would he?' Remus couldn't continue his thought. It was too painful.

Without paying attention to where he was going, he found himself once again in front of the Potter's hideout, when he sniffed a familiar scent. Lily's cat. Following his nose, Remus found the chocolate-furred feline in the lane, half caked in mud and looking worse for wear. He could barely see the normally white tips of his paws under all that dirt. It was limping, favoring its right side, a sign it might have been bleeding at some point. It looked as though it was oblivious to his surroundings.

As Remus neared, the furball stopped, turned and inflated its tail. A barely audible growl was coming from the cat's throat. The werewolf's wilde side resonated and a slight grown rose from his own throat. The feline in front of Moony was severely overestimating its own power of intimidation. The stalemate was interrupted by the somewhat welcome voice of Sirius.

"Dick measuring contest with a cat, Moony? I thought you were above such measly things."

The tension and aggression seemed to drain out of the feline. With a loud meow, it limped as fast is it could to Sirius and started to rub its head against his boot, all the while purring loudly. Sirius reached down and petted the furball.

"Nice to see you too, fluffy predator," he said as he rose, only to find himself at the end of Remus' wand close to his face.

"Why did you betray James and Lily, Padfoot? They trusted you!" Remus said pointedly, shoving his wand closer to the other man's face. "You were their Secret Keeper. Professor Dumbledore said so!" His hands raised to show he was unarmed, Sirius looked his friend dead in the eye.

"Wormtail was the Secret Keeper. I was only a decoy. There is no way in hell I would betray my friend. My best friend, a man who's been more family than those whose blood run through my veins. Have you been lending your ear to Dumbledore so much, his word is undeniably the absolute truth to you? He was not even there when Lily cast the Fidelius. We made sure he knew it was Peter from the moment the charm was cast." Remus' grip on his wand tightened and his eyes turned amber.

"Why would he do that? Why would Dumbledore lie to any of us?" Sirius rolled his eyes.

"For the same reason he told James you probably turned tail and were spying for The Noseless One, as you spent so much time among the packs." Remus' wand lowered slightly.

"He was the one who sent me among the packs to convince them to remain neutral in the conflict," he said in a softer tone of voice. "Swear on your life that you did not betray James and Lily, or, swear to Merlin, Padfoot, I will beat the ever-loving-shit out of you before I hand you over to the Aurors." Sirius slowly reached with his offhand into the wrist holder where his wand was, gently pulling it out, holding it by the middle with two fingers. Ever so slowly he raised it towards the sky and spoke.

"I, Sirius Orion Black, son of Orion and Walburga Black, former Heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, swear upon my life and magic that I did not betray Lord James Potter, of the most Noble and Ancient House of Potter, by informing the being known as Lord Voldemort of the location of this safe house. I also swear I was not the Secret Keeper for the Fidelius charm cast on the house he and his wife resided in for the past 12 months. So mote it be. _Orchideous_!" Remus eyed the purple and neon green polka-dotted daisies springing from the end of Sirius' wand with undisguised disgust. He lowered his wand while running his other hand through his grey streaked hair.

"I am so sorry I have doubted you, Sirius. I admit I have gotten used to accepting Professor Dumbledore's statements as inherently truthful, that I did not stop to judge them for myself." Sirius gave his werewolf friend a crooked grin, as he threw the conjured flowers over his shoulder.

"No harm done, Moony," he said as he patted him on the back. "Now, I need to get this domineering furball to my abode and then attempt to catch the tail end of James' will reading." He bent over and picked up the furball that was at that moment rubbing its head against his right leg. Once it found itself in Sirius' reassuring arms, it turned its head towards the wolf and gave a short hiss, only to purr again.

"Better come with you," Remus replied with a sly smirk, "if only to dress your bleeding wounds when you try washing the evil overlord." Sirius' reaction was to simply flip his fellow Marauder the bird.

-Section Break-

"Well, this was painless… somewhat…" Sirius mused, as he finished toweling Lily's cat off. The feline had stoically accepted having its injuries cleaned and its fur washed off of any caked mud. As if to taunt Remus, it kept spitting and hissing at him while Sirius had his back turned, only to resume an air of innocence when he gave it his full attention.

With the cat now curled up in the middle of Sirius' bed, the two Marauders Apparated at the bottom of the steps leading into Gringotts. The guard, wand in one hand and an odd device of indeterminate shape in the other, gave them a cursory glance.

"Hold," he said, with a careful, yet authoritarian tone in his voice. "State your name and business."

"Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, here for the reading of Lord Potter's Last Will and Testament," replied Sirius, keeping his voice neutral, yet grave. "With whom should we talk to about that?"

"Go on inside and ask for Account Manager Xanthos, as he is the one handling the reading of Lord Potter's will," said the guard as he opened the door, still watching the surrounding the area for unwelcome surprises. They proceeded towards the only free teller. Sirius was about to inquire about the goblin, but the werewolf beat him to it.

"Hello, excuse me," Remus said as he attempted to catch the teller's attention, "Would you be so kind as to point me and my friend here to Account Manager Xanthos? I believe he may be expecting us, with regards to the reading of a will." The goblin stared at him blankly for what seemed a little longer than just a second.

"You would not be the first to forward that claim today, wizard," it said with a deep sigh.

"Oh?" Remus raised an eyebrow.

"Little over an hour ago, Albus Dumbledore came with intent to interrupt the will reading. I hope you do not share his intent, nor do you want to cause any trouble." It paused as it looked over its glasses. "Do you?"

"Hell, no!" the werewolf blurted, only to quickly clamp a hand over his mouth. That was all Sirius needed to introduce himself into the discussion.

"I am terribly sorry, you will have to excuse my potty mouthed friend. My name is Sirius Black and the one with the budding case of Tourettes is Remus Lupin. We received a copy of the will. It was accompanied by a letter, inviting us to present ourselves to the reading itself. Please, announce us to the goblin in charge of the proceedings and see if he would grant us a little of his time."

The goblin seemed nonplussed, simply shrugged and pressed a rune on his desk, then turned his attention back to the large stack of documents in front of him. Shortly after, a younger goblin arrived. After receiving brief instructions from the clerk, it silently bid the wizards to follow and led them to a door labeled 'Will Reading Room'.

Before they could even knock, the door opened to Augusta Longbottom walking out, followed by a goblin, which the two wizards believed was the one they were looking for.

"…dore can not contest your appointment as proxy. Given your son will not be able to join us for a while longer, you can hold both proxies for the next 60 days without it being considered a conflict of interest. At the moment, the Wizengamot can not strip you of the Potter proxy without an unanimous vote of all the Ancient Houses. And yes, that does require the Longbottom and Potter votes as well."

"So unless I vote to strip myself of the Potter proxy…" Mrs Longbottom continued, only to see the two men in front of them.

"Good day, Madam Longbottom. Nice to see you in such high spirits," said Sirius bowing with an overtly fake courtesy. The Longbottom matriarch merely raised an eyebrow and made to leave. The goblin she was talking to, on the other hand, was less than pleased with the interruption.

"And who might you two gentlemen be?"

"Sirius Black…"

"And Remus Lupin…"

"At your service," the two introduced themselves, with incredible ease, in what looked like a very rehearsed practice.

"I seriously doubt that last part," muttered Augusta Longbottom. "I will send you a letter after the Wizengamot meeting on the morrow, Account Manager Xanthos," she said as she turned to the goblin. "I must bid you goodbye I need to inform Frank and Alice of today's events. And secure the copy of the will."

As the older lady made her way to the lobby, alongside the goblin who brought Sirius and Remus, Xanthos invited the two men in the room. After seating themselves in the two chairs closest to the table, the goblin once again pulled out his documents.

"Gentlemen, you are late. Any reason why?"

"You have to excuse me," Sirius said, as he rubbed the back of his head, sheepishly, his voice crackling, "I have no doubt you are aware as to whose will you have read today. He was family even more so than those of my own blood. I wanted to visit them last night and, after seeing James, all I could do not to break to pieces was to drink myself silly. In my drunken stupor, I might have smashed my alarm clock this morning."

"I will spare you the details of anyone trying to rouse him when he's partially pickled…" Remus said with a sad smile, as if he remembered an old forgotten joke.

"Well…" Xanthos said, appearing to not have been paying attention to anything the two have just said. "To make a long story short, you, Mr. Black, have been left a tidy sum and some… questionable Muggle publications Lord Potter said should go to a good home. Mr. Lupin, on the other hand, has been left an annuity, 18000 Galleons per year." The werewolf looked like he was about to faint.

"I had no idea James felt I needed the financial support. You have my humblest apologies, Account Manager, but I cannot accept a handout. I would like to be able to earn my money." The goblin looked at him over his half moon glasses and chuckled under his breath, then turned his eyes back to the parchment.

"Your friend, Lord Potter, has thought you might react like that. He specified that the money is to be paid, even if we are to forcefully glue the money bag to your restrained palm or to break into your vault to deposit it, should you not be available to receive it." Seeing the flabbergasted looks on the two men's faces, he continued. "You need not worry, we need not resort to such crude actions. The money will be added to your vault. Any incurring taxes will be fully handled by the bank."

As his lycanthrope friend was apparently still far too shocked to reply, Sirius gently slapped the man shoulder to elicit a response.

"This means you can open a business of your own, you lucky dog…" Moony gave him the most subtle of stink eyes.

" _I prefer wolf, thank you_ ," he muttered under his breath, his eyes flashing dangerously, but Padfoot didn't even flinch.

"… Use the money to pay for whatever you need to start it up. I should also be able give you a loan to supplement your funds, should you ever need me to do so." With a heavy sigh, Lupin nodded his acceptance.

"Fine. I will take the money as an investment towards my own financial security. Account Master, I'd like the money transferred to a Muggle bank, once I establish myself there fully."

"I don't see an issue with that request," said Xanthos. "Consider it done. All you need to do is provide us with the account number with the bank of your choice."

Their business done, the two men rose to leave. As they neared the doors to exit Gringotts, a goblin called for Sirius.

"Mister Black," he said in a squeaky voice, "your Head of House is currently in the Manager's office. He requested you join him. Please follow me." Sirius drew a hand through his hair and sighed deeply.

"I suspect I am NOT going to like this meeting very much. Moony, here, have my key. Wait for me at the apartment. Whether or not he wants to, my grandfather will be brief, no matter what he wants to speak to me about." He then turned towards the waiting goblin. "Lead the way, then. Might as well get this over with quickly."

-Section Break-

 _ **Sirius Black**_

Sirius walked up to the door, constantly muttering _'must remain calm'_ under his breath. The goblin gave him a very strange look, shrugged and motion for the man to enter. Sirius half expected to be led into a darkened room, as his Grandfather liked it that way. Usually, he could be found alone. Today, however, he was accompanied by a hooded woman. Once the door closed behind the Marauder, ward lines crawled over the wood of the door.

"How may I be of service to the Lord of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black?" Sirius asked, bowing his head. His greeting was met with a hearty laugh.

"Grandson, I never thought that all those etiquette lessons from your mother would sink in," said the man. "Or that you would ever deign to use them properly." He motioned a gesture to the woman by his side, who then lowered her hood, leaving Sirius gobsmacked. He never thought that SHE, of all the Blacks, would ever associate with the Head of the House.

"Cousin Andi, I am surprised to find you in our most esteemed Grandfather's presence. Last I heard, you had been thrown out of the family."

"She was merely disowned by her parents. Last I checked, I did not approve any such thing as her being thrown out. I have been the Lord of this Family for nearly half a century, Sirius. Do not mistake me for the fool that you call father, or that shrieking hag you call your mother," Arcturus Black bit back. "Regardless, we are not here to discuss who did what, and whose parents are worse. We are here to ensure the survival and prosperity of the House of Black." The two younger members bowed their heads and spoke in unison.

"Yes, my Lord."

"Both of you might want to sit down. This will take a while."

As the two cousins joined him at the table, Arcturus pulled out a stack of documents and pushed them in Andromeda's direction. She picked them up and perused through their content. As she did, her eyes widened. Sirius reached out and took the sheet on top to inspect what was written. It was basically a form to name Andromeda Tonks the next Head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black at the first session of Wizengamot of 1982. He was mouthing along the lines of the Decree his grandfather was willing to enact. When he got to the end, he was simply shocked.

"What in the nine hells are you thinking, Grandfather? Making her the Head of House will draw a giant target on her, her husband's and her daughter's backs. Bella and Cissy's Death Eater husbands will be coming after them the very next second."

"Remember who you are talking to, young man," Arcturus said calmly. Still, Sirius felt his grandfather's voice echo through the room. He bowed his head, as the old man continued. "If you think back to the moment 6 months after the lord whatever-his-name-is started his campaign of idiocy, you would also remember the orders I gave to all the members of the house. I forbade all of you stupid children to pick a side, on pain of removal from the line of inheritance. You sided with Albus Dumb-as-a-door, Bella joined the scarecrow. So did Regulus and Narcissa's husband. Your father was too weak to keep his wife in check. The fool ended up financing the inbred brigade. Therefore, all of you have willingly denounced your right and, thus, no longer of the headship. I am going to remove Narcissa and Bellatrix from the house as well, on the off chance everyone else who can inherit the title of Head of House should suffer 'some random and equally horribly debilitating accident'."

Sirius nearly burst into laughter at his grandfather' colorful vocabulary, but schooled his face into the most neutral expression he could manage

"If I understand this properly, since dear Andi over here did not join any side and just stuck to her Mastery and work, she is the only one still eligible. And, as she is already married, she fulfills the condition to be a female Head of House." Arcturus nodded his acquiescence, which made Sirius continue: "Then what exactly do you need me for?"

"Though you might have denounced us, by siding with Dumbledore, you were the one that had been instructed to fulfill the role as the next Head of House." Sirius nodded, waiting for the other shoe to drop. "Whether I like or not, you are the only one I can trust to teach her how to be an effective Head of House. Am I to understand you decline my request?"

"Don't get me wrong, Grandfather, but James has left me with a duty to aid House Potter's Regent and also instruct his son and heir. Between that and managing Uncle Alphie's orchards and vineyard, I am unsure how much time I may have at my disposal to teach Andi how to be a Head of House."

"Yes… about that…" Lord Black continued, rubbing his bearded chin. "What do you know about what had happened last night with Lord Potter and his family?" Seeing the distrust in his grandson's eyes, he upped the ante. "I will even offer you an oath of secrecy. Nothing you tell me will be spoken of, written down or communicated in any form to anyone you do not allow me to."

"What importance does it hold to you, Grandfather? I thought you had little love for the Potters."

"James Potter was my sister's son. He put his trust in Dumbledore, and that got him killed. Now his wife and son are missing. I need that information so I can muster my political power, as well as the votes of my allies and vassals into muzzling that half moon spectacled, white bearded eyesore that leads the sheep of the judicial and ministry by the hairs of their noses. Is that clear enough for you, my little princess?" Sirius snickered at his grandfather's choice of words.

"Crystal. Swear and I will tell you all you want to know."

-Section Break-

As the ball of light conjured by the Patriarch of the Black family to verify his truthfulness faded, Sirius covertly slid his wand back into its holster and drew a deep breath as he turned towards Andromeda.

"I'm sorry, Andi, but, unless you swear by the same terms, you will have to leave the room. This is something I would rather be fully secret to the likes of Dumbledore or any Legilimens crazy enough to slip into your mind." The woman raised an eyebrow. "Or good enough to do so unnoticed." She rolled her eyes, pulled her wand and swore the same as her grandfather.

"Long story short, James and Lily managed to kill the dark fudge muncher. James weakend IT before he was overwhelmed. Lily finished IT off, took Harry and went to a friend of hers to lay low for a couple of days. But that was not even close to being the weirdest part of the evening." Sirius paused and looked at his relatives.

"What do you mean?" Andromeda asked. Both of them looked intrigued as though they were waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Well," said Sirius with a forced calm, "what I found weirdest was not how IT found the Potters, but how Hagrid, Dumbledore's ass kissing half-giant and Hogwarts' Groundskeeper, among other pompous titles, knew exactly WHERE and WHEN to come. He was under the impression that James and Lily were dead. He told me he was there under the Headmaster's orders to collect Harry and deliver him to Lily's magic-hating muggle sister." He paused for a second, sighed and continued. "Let me make one thing perfectly clear. That oaf was firmly convinced that James and Lily were BOTH dead, because Dumbledore said so." Andromeda looked absolutely bewildered.

"How did that utter imbecile, who, if memory serves, is forbidden to use magic, get to a place the location of which he should not have any knowledge of, firmly convinced the house's adult inhabitants were dead? It sounds awfully convenient, if you ask me. Don't you agree, Grandfather?" Arcturus nodded, half lost in thought. Sirius chuckled.

"What I find even more interesting, that knucklehead claimed Dumbledore had unanimously decided what Harry's future was going to be. According to him, my opinion was irrelevant and I should have handed my godson over, based on the decisions of Albus Dumbledore the All Knowing. He was about to barge in when I promised him a practical demonstration of my training as a Black, should he take one more step. That, of course, was before Lily threw him through the house's front wall into the rowan tree in their courtyard." Silence enveloped the room.

"I see," the Black patriarch said what seemed a minute later. "It would seem I am going to have to keep Dumbledore's bootlickers from revoking Lily Potter custody of her own child. Probably even stop his bleating sycophants from challenging and overturning Lord Potter's final will." He smiled. "Finally, some proper exercise." The older man rose from the table and, with a gesture, took down the wards that he had placed over the door. "I shall catch up to you children in a few days. Should you need me, call for my elf, Twinky."

The two cousins were left sitting at the table, stunned by their grandfather's strange choice of words. As Andromeda Tonks rose from the table and pulled up her hood, Sirius burst into laughter.

"Now, if that does not prove it, nothing else will. I inherited my sense of humor from my Grandfather."

The woman shook her head and left her cousin to his merriment.

-Section Break-

 _ **Alastor Moody**_

"DAWLISH! GRAVES!" yelled Alastor Moody as he walked out of the office of the Head of the Department for Magical Law Enforcement and looked around the Auror cubicles. "Move your sorry arses over here. I'm gonna make your day. Your month even." The two named Aurors joined him almost as he finished his sentence.

"What exactly would that be, sir?" spoke Adam Dawlish half worried, half intrigued. His robes were disheveled, having ran from his seat when the older auror called him. The young man was clearly eager to prove himself, having graduated little over a year ago from the Auror training. He tried to keep what would be a regulation look, clean cut, necktie in a windsor knot, robes buttoned up. However, that did not deter him from keeping his cocky, yet somewhat childish smile. "Master Moody?"

"Hold up, kid," came the grave voice of Eldritch Graves, a gruff middle aged man, with a hint of a receding hairline. His face was streaked with scars and his eyes were weary, a testament of his own vast experience within the DMLE, second only to his superior. "Didn't I tell you If you rush in battle like that, you are short for this world. Swear to Merlin, it's like they don't train them the basics anymore," he said turning to Moody. "So, what do you have for us, today Alastor?"

"We have been allowed to track down Evan Rosier and whomever we find him with, and put them out of their misery, Graves," Moody replied with a mischievous grin at the older of the two Auror. "If we live through that, you will be a legend among our counterparts in the States. Who knows, maybe even bigger than your Grandfather." Eldritch Graves' smile was anything but pleasant.

"Alastor, I, for one, can't wait to take out that… thing that looks like a man and acts like a rabid animal. Alive or not, the parents of all the children he tortured and crucified will finally feel vindicated. My standing with the MACUSA is meaningless," the Auror said and spat as he uttered that name. "When do we start our hunt?"

"As soon as I send word to the Unspeakables," replied Moody. "They will be joining us, as we will need all the extra firepower we can secure. Gentlemen, feel free to bring all your best weapons. I know I will," he ended, tapping his temple.

-Section Break-

An hour and a few Floo trips later, the Aurors were walking down the black corridor to the Department of Mysteries. In front of the door stood two figures of indeterminate gender in grey cloaks. The one on the left stepped forward and bade them to stop.

"And what exactly is the cause for this delay?" Alastor asked, tapping his foot impatiently. "If we lose any more time dilly dallying, we might lose the little leverage we have."

"The Director is currently securing clearance for you gentlemen to enter the Department," the figure told them. "And, as the target's location has not yet been confirmed, we will not be setting out for a little while yet. A fair trade-off, as it will still take a few hours to make sure the target will not escape. With access to our facilities, intel and gear, we can make better strategies to ensure the success of our mission." The voice was bland and obviously altered, since there was no way to tell which of the figures had actually spoken, nor its gender.

"Sorry to disappoint, but…" Moody grinned, opening his coat to show his interlocutors the combat knives hanging from his belt, phial-loaded shoulder rig and two sawed-off shotguns strapped to his legs, one with blue markings, the other with red. "As you can see, I have enough toys to play with. Some body armor might be useful."

"Same for me," growled Graves,, showing a gun in a shoulder holster. Dawlish looked perplexed at his superiors.

"Why would we need Muggle weapons?" he asked.

"Because, young Adam," replied Moody with a heavy sigh, "this particular Death Eater won't expect us to have any weapons other than our wands. And there is no way any of those inbred bastards would be prepared to cast a shield strong enough to stop a bullet before we pull the trigger. Not that they'd know how to cast a kinetic barrier anyway."

As if it waited for the conversations to enter, the nondescript black door opened of its own accord, and the Unspeakables showed the three Aurors in.

-Section Break-

 _ **Frank Longbottom**_

The man had been slowly walking the length of the 30 seat dining table for the past couple of hours. His pacing was wearing on his wife's nerves. A couple of seconds later, she laid her hand on his shoulder.

"That's enough, dear. You'll wear a hole in the carpet," Alice tried putting her husband's worried mind at ease with a smile. "If you do that, your mother will get snappy. And, if she decides to rant about your lack of patience again, you, mister, are on your own." As she said that, she brought her hand to her face in a gesture of fake dread. "If she rants at you with her usual gusto, I'll lock myself in our room and have the elves deliver a few meals. You will be left to the grisly fate that is your mother's hour long rants on propriety and manners."

Frank gave his wife a small smile, some of his worries having been washed by her attempts at humor. Shortly after, he felt the wards on the fireplace notify him of his mother's arrival through the Floo network. He took off like a shot towards the office, changing his full-out charge into a half-sprint as he entered to see her brushing herself off.

"Well…" Augusta cleared her throat and, after setting her purse and her feathered hat on the top of the desk, pulled out a rolled-up parchment, a silvery wax seal bearing the Potter coat of arms. Frank gently took it and was ready to break the hard wax seal when a house elf popped into the room with an expression of fear written all over her aged features.

"Missus 'Gusta, you told Mips to check everything that comes in for tracking spells. You have some on your hat and handbag." Stringing together some of the foulest expletives she had learned in her long life, she threw said items to the elf.

"Empty the bag," she said fuming, her face turning red, "then send both of them in the middle of the bloomin ocean." By the time the Longbottom Matriarch finished turning the air blue, her daughter in law entered the office.

"Problems, Augusta?"

"I came back tagged with a bloody tracker. I didn't think to check myself before using the Floo. Damn it!" Frank and Alice shared a worried look.

"If it puts your mind at ease," said Frank as he laid his hand on his mother's shoulder, "Call Sirius Black and Remus Lupin."

"Might as well have some extra wands around here for a little while," added Alice, nodding in agreement.

"That is not a bad idea," said Augusta. "Have Mips send an owl to them as soon as possible. Now, you should hear the strangest thing that happened today. Albus Dumbledore alleges that the He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has been defeated. Yet, for some outrageous reason, that blasted buffoon tried to stop the reading of James Potter's will." The occupants of the room fell silent.

After what felt like half an hour, Frank took the scroll, gently removed the seal and read the contents as he paced around the room.

"This does not look like it contains anything that could be remotely considered a security risk. This does not bode well," he said, before turning to his wife. "I am sorry, Alice, but this sort of business should only be the burden of the Head of House. If you would be so kind, please send an owl to Sirius and Remus. Ask them to join us here to bolster the security." Shortly after his wife left, Frank locked the door to his study and placed a privacy ward on it, then asked his mother to sit, as he took his seat as the Head of House behind the desk. "Now Mother, please tell me everything you have seen and heard Dumbledore do at the reading. And spare no details."

-Section Break-

After listening to his mother describe the strange behavior of his once esteemed Professor, Frank took to pacing for a minute or so.

"So… he's been trying to get the Wizengamot to pass some discretionary drivel to overturn James' will, all to get custody of Harry. Typical," he said with a heavy sigh. "Check with our allied houses to see who else was notified of this special session, why we were NOT summoned, and what reasons did the old man give for trying to usurp one of the oldest Houses of Magical Britain. On my honor as the Head of House Longbottom, I will not let this stand. Call on Arcturus or Orion Black if you have to." Augusta raised her hand in an attempt to stop her son's rant.

"Frank, the stress must be getting to you," the old woman said. "Have you forgotten that Orion Black was poisoned the same year rumor has it Bellatrix killed her parents?" Frank huffed.

"Regardless of my memory issues, I want this farce of a man stopped. You know me, Mother, I am all for equal chances, but this is exactly the kind of abuse of power that a member of one of the Lower Houses would perpetrate the moment they find themselves in a position of authority. We need to put a permanent muzzle on that man and his absurd ambitions, even if we have to dredge up the High Council or call on the British Prime Minister to overrule the Wizengamot on every little thing. Who the hell does he think he is? A god?" His mother tried her best to stifle her laughter behind her handkerchief.

"Well, he did defeat Grindelwald," she said, sarcasm dripping from her every word. "That makes the masses deify him." Frank scoffed.

"Then the masses need to deify Newton Scamander. Good old Newt aided the Magical Congress of the United States their DMLE stop an Obscurus and Grindelwald himself in New York in the same damn night, if what you and Father told me is accurate. All the while the great and all mighty Dumbledore twiddled his thumbs in Europe."

Both mother and son shared a hearty laugh, before a knock was heard. After taking down the privacy wards, Frank opened the door to see his wife with a couple of sheets of parchment in her hand, which she promptly handed to him.

"As you asked, letters to the allies of House Longbottom. Have a read through and sign them if you approve. We've been out of the loop for too damn long. And your mother cannot be everywhere to put a muzzle on anything we don't approve of." Frank nodded.

"And we also need to get to Gringotts and officially take up the Proxy for House Potter, before the Wizengamot pulls another idiocy out of their collective arses."

As the younger couple were brainstorming, Augusta Longbottom smiled warmly.

"It is times like these when I miss my Harfang."

 **November 2nd**

 _ **Alastor Moody**_

Moody, his two Auror companions and three Unspeakables Apparated silently in the middle of Knockturn Alley. Before any Auror could ask, the Unspeakables headed towards the 'Horny Toad' brothel. They slammed the door open and anyone present in the room was knocked unconscious due to various spells, some recognizable, some utterly alien. In a blink of an eye, the Madame was tied to a chair and submitted to an unknown grey curse.

"Would it kill you to let us in on the plan?" barked Moody at the first Unspeakable he saw. "Or was the so called _talk_ back at the Ministry just for show?"

"She knows about Rosier," came the Unspeakable's unphased voice. "She will tell us everything as soon as we ask. Now, if you would be so kind, Auror Moody, stand back and watch for angry patrons."

One of the other unspeakables turned back to the bound woman and woke her up with a heavy backhanded slap to the face.

"Evan Rosier. His location. NOW!" a distorted voice barked, without missing a beat.

"With Augustus Selwyn and Phineas Travers in a hunting lodge in the Forest of Dean. I was about to send some girls over there." The Madame's voice was perfectly emotionless, as though her will power had been suppressed. The Unspeakable laid a hand on her head, closed their eyes, and, shortly after, nodded in acknowledgement. Another Unspeakable pulled their wand and, with a speechless flourish, put the Madame back into a sleep-like state, repaired the hinges and motioned for the team to head out.

Graves looked slightly disgusted after witnessing the Unspeakables', whom he previously revered, questionable behavior. Moody saw his companion's reaction, simply shrugged, and followed the cloaked individuals.

Outside, the contingent provided by the Department of Mysteries was gathered around a metallic object that was not there when they first arrived. With a silent tap of the wand, the object started to glow blue, then red, then back to blue. When the glow disappeared, one of the Unspeakables motioned for the Aurors to approach.

"Weapons out. If any of them manages to escape us, good on them. Otherwise, we intend to take no prisoners, so don't bother trying to stun anyone." The Aurors nodded.

Moody took out a combat knife, Graves unholstered his gun and Dawlish pulled out a huge knife, with an eagle head pommel and a wide single edged blade.

With a tug, the portkey activated and took the taskforce away and towards their quarry.

-Section Break-

The landing was perfectly silent. None of the six passenger felt any of the discomfort usually associated with travelling by portkey. One of the Unspeakables pointed his wand towards the mouth of his demonic-looking mask, motioned for silence and attention.

'Auror Dawlish…' the young Auror heard a disembodied voice inside his head, 'take this runestone and place it on the southern wall. You will enter through the breach. Auror Graves, as soon as the door opens, shoot from a crouched position. We will provide a smoke screen and covering fire.' The gruff man nodded in agreement. 'Master Moody, please be so kind as to throw this unstable concoction through the door as soon as it is opened. Proceed as soon as the distraction commences.' The elder of the group gave a curt nod and tightened his grip on his own wand. With the roles clarified, everyone moved to their designated positions.

With a wave of their wands, the Unspeakables' robes turned to a form fitting uniform that still concealed their identity and gender. One of them raised a hand and counted down from five.

When the countdown reached one, the runestone Dawlish placed on the wall detonated. A thick cloud of smoke began emitting from the pieces. As soon as that happened, a flurry of hexes and curses started flying through the breach. Dawlish leaned in and threw an empowered Reducto through the dust, six feet away from the breach, then, with his knife in reverse grip, jumped in. The roar of Eldritch Graves' gun could be easily heard through bouts of loud cursing. The concoction Moody threw in resulted in a blinding green fireball.

Moody entered, holding his combat knife in a reverse grip, tip parallel to the wand. One of the lodge's occupants was scorched beyond recognition, apparently having caught the brunt of the fireball. Another was lying splayed face down in the entry hall, his right knee cap blown clear off by a bullet, gaping and bloody. Moody thought about using a blood clotting charm on the downed man, as he did not seem to be one of those they were here for. Before he cast the spell, however, he spotted what seemed to be a tattoo through a cut in the man's sleeve. While deflecting an incoming curse and cutting at a charging assailant, he focused on the tattoo. With the tip of the blade, he widened the cut and saw that, surrounded by a patch of red skin, there was what looked like a fairly fresh Dark Mark of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

'No prisoners, Master Moody,' one of the Unspeakables whispered in his thoughts. Moody shrugged and made no move to kill the barely breathing Death Eater. His hooded partner was not as merciful, shooting the purplish black blade of an unknown spell, effectively slitting the man's throat, before moving on.

The next room was where the wall had been breached through. Bodies were strewn all over the room, the sole survivor being Dawlish. The young Auror was moving his wand in wide arcs, running some form of detection, all the while trying to hold back his bile. His huge knife was sticking out of another body clad in full Death Eater robes.

"That would be Selwyn," said Moody, as he slit the man's left sleeve to see a similar Dark Mark. His contemplation was broken by Dawlish.

"Another two fled through that door as soon as I threw the first spell. It's barricaded."

"Evan Rosier one of them?" one of the Unspeakables asked, as they shot a piercing curse at Selwyn's corpse. The body twitched, but nothing happened.

"Not sure. Both were masked," replied the young Auror, still fighting his urge to retch the contents of his stomach. He reached to pull the knife from the corpse, but Moody beat him to it. The older man raised an eyebrow, flipped it in the air, catching it by the blade, and extended it to his younger subordinate.

"Where on earth did you get this monstrous blade, Adam?"

"Family heirloom," replied the Auror, as he wiped the blade on a clean patch of Selwyn's robe, all the while trying to keep his breakfast down. "It was made for an ancestor of mine, who, along with a couple of his friends, went hunting for a rogue vampire in Whitby. The blasted creature had killed his fiancé."

"It's lighter than expected," growled Alastor. "Should have been a lot heavier, given its size."

"Part of it is hollow," replied Adam, still breathing heavily and spitting the bit of bile that managed to crawl up his gullet. "It's filled with mercury." Spat another gob of snot. "Really appreciate the distraction, sir." The old Auror patted his shoulder in a fatherly manner and turned towards Graves and the rest of the Unspeakables.

"So, gentlemen, what's the plan?"

One of the Unspeakables pulled another three runestones out from a pouch on his belt and placed them on the locked door. Graves and Moody, alongside the rest of the strike force, took position, flanking the door. Dawlish sheathed his knife and ducked behind an overturned table, upon which he had cast a Hardening spell.

A short countdown later, the runestones exploded, but this time, the pieces did not emit any smoke. A flurry of curses soon followed. The petrified table was pushed back slightly, causing Dawlish to cuss most vigorously. One of the Unspeakables tossed Moody another phial to throw into the room. Graves transferred his gun to his off hand, inched his wand past the frame of the door and muttered _Fumo_. The smokescreen caused the visibility to drop suddenly.

As the phial flew through the smoke, a Reducto hit the doorframe and Graves was thrown to the floor with his back full of splinters. With a flick of their wand, one of the Unspeakables pushed him away from the line of fire and threw another phial, this time filled with a substance of a different color, through the breached door. Shortly after, he lit a piece of what looked like paper and flicked it through the fading smokescreen. A small detonation followed.

A full minute passed with no spells fired from inside. Moody used a mirror to look through the room.

"Empty."

Suddenly, Adam Dawlish found himself tense up. As his eyes turned glassy, he rose from behind his cover and brought his wand to his throat.

"Throw away your weapons," he said. The young Auror's voice had an odd reverberation to it. "Or I will put him through the worst pain he has ever been in his life."

The Unspeakable closest to the breach shifted his gaze from the Imperioused Auror to the inside of the room and, with a remote whisper in his companions' ears to catch their attention, motioned with his head to a spot less than a foot away from the edge of the breach, behind an overturned armchair. One of the others raised their empty hand, pointed to the spot indicated by their partner and spoke a single word. _"PILA!"_ A line of javelins formed in the air and darted in the direction the Unspeakable was pointing in. One apparently had hit something, as the invisibility charm failed and a masked man fell to the floor, a spear protruding from the middle of his forehead.

Dawlish regained control over himself and rushed towards were Graves lay to check on the older man, levitating the hardened table to his new position in order to shield them both in case this was not the end of the fight.

A booming blast came out of nowhere and, before anyone could process what had just happened, Moody found himself knocked back on the floor. A purple lash came from somewhere within the smoke cloud and wrapped around the entirety of his left calf, ever tightening and searing his flesh, until it was yanked back. Pain shot through his entire body, blurring his vision. When he came back to his senses a moment later, he noticed he was bleeding profusely from below his left knee. His leg had just disappeared. Something hit the Unspeakable that fired the line of javelins in the chest, throwing him against the wall with an ominous crack.

The rest of the Unspeakables swept through the most probable locations for the assailant to hide in and, even though they used some of the most destructive spells at their disposal, they hit nothing but air. Another of them fell, screaming horribly, clawing at his chest. His colleagues continued unperturbed.

Moody used the respite granted by his DoM allies forcing the mysterious assailant to focus on them to crawl over to Graves and Dawlish. When he reached cover, he removed a phial of clear yellow liquid from his bandoleer, pulled off the stopper and poured it over the stump of his leg. The wound smoked and sealed over. Through gritted teeth, he muttered a series of detection charms, some darker than others.

"How bad is it, Adam?" he asked the younger Auror, who was busy removing splinters from his unconscious colleague.

"The dragonhide armor we got from the DoM stopped most of the damage. Minimal injuries, nothing an hour in the infirmary wouldn't cure. However, he is out for the count at the moment."

Moody nodded and, with a groan, summoned some of the bigger pieces of wood from around the room, fashioning them into a crude peg leg, which ended in a clawed foot. With a muttered charm, he stuck it to the stump of his leg. Dawlish's eyes widened at his leader's survival instinct.

"This is going to hurt like a bitch. But at least I can move," he growled through his teeth, as he watched the last Unspeakable shoot randomly, hoping to catch the assailant. "Dawlish, get Graves out of here…"

"How?" Adam asked, looking shellshocked.

"Activate the bloody emergency portkey, boy, and watch my back. He's toying with us."

After Graves had been swept away in a rainbow of swirling light, Moody resumed casting a slew of detection charm, hoping against all hope he would find the last Death Eater, most probably Rosier, before the last Unspeakable would fall. A shift of the battered wooden floor alerted him to the location of the assailant. Without blinking, he conjured a shimmering shield, which saved him from a cloud of metal shards that came flying towards his head, but could not withstand a second wave that blasted through the weakened charm, embedding themselves in his dragon hide vest, without piercing all the way through.

Rolling away, he saw the last Unspeakable burst into bloody chunks. Then, another set of conjured metal shards made their way towards Dawlish's unprotected back, the young man still oblivious of the impending danger. Instinctively, Moody threw himself in front of the barrage and erected a multilayered shield.

"Watch out, sonny," he said, raising his arms in front of his face, praying that the younger man would pick up the slack and shield them after this volley.

Having felt no impact, he lowered his offhand to the blue handled shotgun, dangling on his injured leg, all the while scanning the area in front of them with his wand. The first movement of the foe, albeit being nigh imperceptible, was met with a blast from the gun. Slowly, the disillusionment charm dropped off of an injured Evan Rosier. His dark eyes shot anger and pain, his jet black hair plastered on his handsome face, sweat dripping in small rivulets. He was gripping his side, blood seeping through the fingers, and the wand was held loosely. The other hand, whether armed or not, was covered by the long sleeve of his robe

"What… in the… seven hells… did you… put in that muggle abomination?" the Death Eater asked.

"Glass shards," replied Moody, as he raised the gun to shoot again, when the hidden hand came up holding another wand, and he felt something pierce through his left eye, making his shot go wide. "Dawlish! Leave! NOW!" he yelled, his vision blurred. When he made to reach for the other sawed-off shotgun, instead of the normal sound of a portkey, however, Alastor heard a whistling noise.

He shook himself to clear his head and saw the eagle headed pommel of his subordinate's knife. Said oversized weapon was now protruding from Rosier's chest. The Death Eater, however, did not fall. As if holding his body upright by sheer will alone, Rosier made to raise his both wands, but, that very instant, the older Auror grabbed the second shotgun, aimed from the hip and pulled the trigger. The contents of the shells removed one of Rosier's legs below the knee in a huge spray of blood and bone shards. One of the man's wands dropped to the floor.

With adrenaline slowly fading from his system, Moody lowered his weapon, letting it drop with a metallic clang. He tried reaching for the belt buckle portkey, but his hand did not have the energy to move the short distance anymore. The last thing he glimpsed before slipping into unconsciousness was Dawlish, the greenest of the previous year's crop of graduates, approaching the dying Death Eater, fire in his eyes, and Graves' revolver clenched in his hand.

-Section Break-

 _ **Augusta Longbottom**_

The matriarch of the Longbottom family walked through the doors of the Ministry of Magic and up the stairs that led to the second level, which housed the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the chambers of the Wizengamot. As she approached Courtroom 10, the venue of today's meeting, she heard a familiar voice, one which she had not heard in ages.

"Merlin's beard…" she said as she saw the tall man with a mane of lustrous black hair heavily flecked with silver and white, with a nigh regal presence about him, discussing with a smartly dressed man, most likely representing of one of the lesser houses. "Arcturus Black, as I live and breathe. You honor us with your presence today. How come?"

Lord Black stopped midway through his sentence and looked a little taken aback by the unexpected semblance of familiarity, but instantly schooled his features into a mask of neutrality.

"We will continue this inside," he said to the man, who simply nodded and walked away. "Aggy Longbottom," he continued with a smile, turning to face his old acquaintance. "It has been far too long since we were both at the same 'Mot session." Before she could reply, his smile faded. "We need to talk. Preferably now."

"Of course," the Longbottom Matriarch replied, noticing the urgency of his tone. She raised a privacy barrier, only to see Lord Black raising an additional layer himself.

"I need your help, Aggs," he said, in a hushed voice. "We need to muzzle Dumbledore." Augusta nodded in agreement.

"We are of the same mind, Arc."

"Good."

"And how do you propose we go about achieving this?"

"I am calling for the High Council to investigate and rule on his discretionary decisions," Arcturus continued in the same hushed voice, looking around as if the privacy barrier might fail at any time. "As I have yet to manage to get in touch with Evelyn Greengrass or Pat Parkinson, I would appreciate your assistance in seconding my motion. Can I count on you?" She looked at her interlocutor carefully, and after mulling it over a few seconds, nodded.

"I am certain Frank would have no problem with supporting such an endeavor. As a matter of fact, he wants the exact same thing. You can count on us, but only for the sake of young Harry. Going by James' will, it falls to us to train the boy in the dances, something I can't do unless he stays right where his father wanted him: with his mother and godfather."

"The House of Black thanks you," Arcturus said, sketching a slight bow, "and will be in your debt for your assistance."

They made their way inside with predatory grins on their faces. Anyone who saw them felt shivers running down their spines.

-Section Break-

As the members present for the day's Wizengamot gathering talked among themselves about the recent events, seemingly not paying attention to his usual musings, Albus Dumbledore decided to bring down the gavel and call this meeting to order. All eyes fell upon him, a few familiar faces regarding him with the reverence he was accustomed to. Some, however, shot glances filled with an unusual, newfound distrust.

"Alright everybody, settle down, settle down." The chatter slowly died down, except for a couple hushed mumbles in the back of the room. "We have a full agenda and the time is short. Fellow members of the Wizengamot, I wish to welcome you all to today's meeting. I have asked for your presence to address a couple of recent developments within the Wizarding world - the death of the dark wizard known as Lord Voldemort," - a couple of people winced at hearing the name - "as he attempted to claim the lives of the Potter Family. During this gruesome attack upon their home, I am saddened to say Lord James Potter lost his life. Lily and their son Harry have since disappeared, their current whereabouts unknown."

"To our knowledge," Mrs Longbottom interrupted, "you had a very large part in assuring the security of the Potter Family. Similarly, you have, to a small extent, provided a so called improvement to the charms placed on my own family's residence. Should the Longbottom Family be worried of a possible retribution spearheaded by You-Know-Who's Death Eaters?"

"Indeed," another man chimed in, "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named still has who knows how many people still following orders issued who knows when."

"You need not worry, I have received assurances that the Aurors of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Unspeakables of the Department of Mysteries are raiding all known locations where these Death Eaters are known to congregate as we speak."

"That does put our mind at ease," replied Mrs Longbottom, "if only a little. What I would like to know, Chief Warlock, is how was it possible for the most advanced and complex security charms you went to great lengths to provide have failed, without even the slightest hint of reinforcements or aid being provided or any alarm being raised. How do you respond to these allegations, Chief Warlock?" Dumbledore seemed to have been waiting for a question along those lines.

"Current evidence I have come across point towards a dastardly betrayal of one of our own," he said, a small twinkle in the corner of his eyes. "Lord Potter was betrayed by the Secret Keeper, his so-called best friend, Sirius…"

Dumbledore's tirade was interrupted by the sound of a Cannon Blast Charm. All those gathered turned to face the source of the commotion, scared and wands at the ready. What they saw was Lord Black, looking livid.

"I strongly recommend," he said, tightening his grip on his wand, "you… shut… your fat… gob, you sanctimonious prune." He seemed to shimmer a faint red glow.

"Lord Black, how dare…" Dumbledore attempted to speak, but found his voice gone.

"Oh, no you don't," Black said, a slight grin on his face at the sight of the confused man in front of him. "Know your place Albus Dumbledore of no House worth mentioning. This is not something you would learn in any fancy book you might have up at Hogwarts, but if the Lord or Lady of an Ancient House takes up word in this gathering, not even the Chief Warlock can stop them. You may be my elder, but I am your better." The members of the lesser houses looked shell-shocked. "A few bits of information for those unfamiliar with the relationship between my Grandson and the House of Potter. Sirius is the sworn Godfather of the Potter Heir, just as the lamented James Potter is my sister's son. As many of you may know, such a vow exerts a heavy price on those who would break it, not unlike the consequences of a broken Unbreakable Vow. The instant he attempts betrayal, his heart would stop. Sirius is very much alive, two days after the event."

The air felt thick enough to cut it with a knife. As the silence seemed to only deepen, an idea dawned upon the Director of the DMLE, who just so happened to be present for the proceedings.

"If I may," he said, shooting a nasty glare at Dumbledore, "there is a way to dispel any doubt as to whom was the Potters' Secret Keeper. Betty," he summoned one of his aides, a quiet mousy girl.

"Yes, Director?" Dumbledore seemed to squirm uneasy.

"Would you kindly bring the contained item on my desk, should have a DoM report attached." The girl nodded and darted out of the room. "You see, by the orders bequeathed by the late Lord James Potter in his will, the DMLE and, by extension, myself, have been granted a memory phial of the day Lady Potter cast the Fidelius over the house they hid in. Its contents have, of course, been verified by an expert on the authenticity of memories." His aide entered the chambers as he spoke and handed him a small box and a thin file. Nodding his thanks, he scanned through the file and smiled. "And it would seem the contents of the memory have not been tampered with. The named Secret Keeper was not Sirius Black, but a man named Peter Pettigrew." Everyone's eyes fell on him, as he closed the file. "Therefore, this dog and pony show is meaningless."

For the first time in a long while, Dumbledore looked like he was at a loss for words.

"I assure you," he said as he regained his composure, "I was informed otherwise. Their location was disclosed not in person, but in written form."

"You were their teacher, correct?" asked Arcturus, barely containing his rage, the red glow flickering around him. Dumbledore nodded. "And you want me to believe you did not recognize the writing on that piece of paper?" The Lord of House Black did not wait for his reply. He drew a hand through his hair.

"Arcturus," whispered Augusta, who was sitting close by. "Now is not the time."

"You are right." He took a deep breath and turned to face the others. "Fellow members of the Wizengamot, I must apologize for my outburst. It is not often that there's such a slanderous attack at my family's honor, let alone by one such as him." He spat the few last words. Murmurs rose through the room. The commotion was once again broken by the sound of a cannon blast. They turned to see Mrs Longbottom with her wand aloft.

"Quiet, I can't hear myself think with you hens bickering," she demanded. A moment later, she turned to Arcturus and asked: " So, Lord Black, what do you suggest we do?" The man shot a nasty look and a sinister smile graced his face.

"I, Arcturus Black, Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black," he said without missing a beat, all the while keeping his eyes affixed on Dumbledore, "hereby call upon my peers of the High Council of Great Britain to bring charges against and stand in judgement of Wizengamot's current Chief Warlock, one Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore."

"And what charges would you bring against me?" asked the accused, the same all knowing smile on his face.

"I accuse the Chief Warlock," Arcturus continued addressing his the rest of the gathering, not taking his eyes off of his quarry, "of an attempt to overthrow the rightful succession of one of the oldest Houses of Magical Britain. This charge is all the more aggravated by the fact he is using his position and authority in this endeavour. Anyone wish to carry the motion?" Both him and Dumbledore looked around for a moment.

"I second the motion," declared Mrs Longbottom, standing up from her seat.

An unexpected echo reverberated throughout the room, as a second voice spoke in unison. Even more unexpected was the one who spoke out - Evelyn Greengrass. The Chief Warlock looked gobsmacked. Clearing his throat, he brought down the gavel, seemingly compelled by his position.

"Motion passed, due to three Noble and Ancient Houses calling for bringing charges against me. Any other points you wish to bring to order?"

"Oh, yes, Chief Warlock," Mrs Longbottom said matter-of-factly. "I call on you to account for your actions yesterday. You entered Gringotts with a documents signed by some of the members of this very gathering. Who supported that motion? And, for that matter, why were we of the Noble and Ancient House of Longbottom not called upon to vote?" She looked around the room and saw Lady Greengrass and Lord Black ready to say something. "Evelyn, do you wish to say something regarding this charge?" Evie rose and cleared her throat.

"I wish to inform you that the House of Greengrass has received no notice of a meeting yesterday. I, for one, had no idea about such a document having been passed until you mentioned it, Madam Longbottom." She turned to face the room. "Who among the Sacred Twenty Eight has received any notice about yesterday's meeting?" she asked. The room remained silent. "Elder Houses?" A couple of hands rose.

"What of those of the Noble Houses?" Mrs Longbottom asked. Silence. Evie sat back down, leaving Augusta to continue the inquiry. "No one? Then, if you would excuse my French, how in the NAME of the Morrigan did Chief Warlock Dumbledore get such a controversial motion passed with so few actual votes? How did he have the absolute gall to come to Gringotts, attempting to seal the will of one of his betters and, in the process, usurp the guardianship of his better's heir? Some of you are either lying through their teeth, are morons or bootlickers." Silence reigned and Mrs Longbottom sat back down.

A few moments passed, as the members of the Wizengamot mulled over the accusations brought not only against the Chief Warlock, but against some of them as well.

"He might have done it based on information we are not privy to. He may know better," came a single, sheepish voice. Lord Black muttered a few expletives under his breath.

"For Merlin's sake," he finally spoke. "Fellow members, let me ask you a couple of questions. When did this grand body hand over its authority to a man whose position is based on dubious facts and events? Since when does the Sacred Twenty-Eight bow before a man from a far lesser house than them? Have you lost your collective minds? Was this why he managed to sway you so easily?" A few of the members looked appalled. "Need I remind you the will of an Ancient and Noble house is untouchable by all except for the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the current reigning monarch? For better or for worse, we are allowed to govern ourselves and continue our existence within this country exactly because we keep them informed and, in what seems more a symbolic way, bend a knee to the highest of their hierarchy. By trying to pass such a motion in the Wizengamot makes every single one of us, including those who have never voted on the motion, guilty of trying to wrest control of our slice of the country from its rightful rulers. All our lives would have been forfeit the second the Minister for Magic would have reported this to their superior, the Prime Minister. Does the Wizengamot feel that Albus Dumbledore of no House worth mentioning knows better now? Are you willing to risk our very existence on the whims a single man?"

Murmurs rose once again, which soon turned into contradictory yelling. Minister Bagnold, who up until that point had been quiet, broke the silence with her own amplified booming voice.

"Why would I report that MY Ministry is in defiance of mere Muggles? We are their superiors in every way," she declared in a mocking voice.

"For the love of…" Arcturus started to mutter, rubbing his eyes in frustration. He didn't get a chance to offer a retort, because…

" _STUPEFY_!"

The spell impacted the minister in the temple. Witnessing this caused some to jump out of their seats, wands at the ready, and others to hide behind overturned chairs, but they breathed a relaxed sigh when they saw Bartemius Crouch walk over and slap a pair of magic inhibiting manacles on the limp Minister.

"This has gotten out of hand," he said, scorn in his voice. " _Rennervate_!" Minister Bagnold stirred.

"What is the meaning of this? Release me!" she demanded.

" _Silencio_!" barked one of the Aurors present, almost predicting Crouch's intent.

"Thank you, Auror Shacklebolt," said Crouch as he turned to the woman at his feet. "Madam Minister, by my authority as Director of the DMLE, I hereby place you under arrest for attempted sedition. Consider this your termination notice." Turning to the silent gallery, he motioned to the now mute minister. "Lord Black, can you add the trial of our now ex-minister before the High Council to the meeting's agenda?"

"I second Director Crouch's motion," bellowed Augusta. "Lord Black, would you kindly answer the man?" she continued with an almost imperceptible smirk.

"Yes, Director Crouch. I will place ex-Minister Bagnold's trial for the crime of sedition on the meeting's agenda. I will ask the DoM Director send the official summons for a High Council meeting a week from tomorrow."

"I also motion we appoint an interim minister, even for a few weeks. And it will definitely not be the Chief Warlock."

"I agree." He turned to the rest of the gathering. "All in favor of appointing Director Bartemius Crouch as interim Minister for Magic, say Aye!" he said without skipping a beat.

"Aye!" said almost everyone in the room.

"I…" Crouch seemed to be speechless. "I humbly accept. I wish to thank the Wizengamot for the trust."

"Don't mention it," said Arcturus. "If anything, you deserve it far more than anyone else. Now, unless anyone else has something to bring before this body, this meeting is over."

"Ahem…" Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Lord Black… As long as I am Chief Warlock, I and I alone can bring a Wizengamot meeting to an end."

"Oh, I am sorry, Chief Warlock," replied Arcturus. "I almost forgot about you. Come to think of it, I do wish to add one more subject to the agenda. Appointing an interim Chief Warlock, until all the charges brought against the current one are addressed."

"All in favor say Aye!" said Mrs Longbottom.

"Aye!"

"This meeting is adjourned!" declared Dumbledore, with a defeated sigh.

-section break-

"Could you do an old lady a favor," said Augusta, "and offer her a moment of your time, Director… or should I say Minister?" Augusta motioned to an alcove close to the elevators. The man nodded and followed. After raising a privacy barrier and switching her wand to her offhand, she cleared her throat. "Is there anything you can disclose about the nature of that… man's death? Anything that you would feel comfortable enough to also share with the Wizengamot, of course." Crouch looked at her with suspicion.

"Mrs Longbottom, with all due respect for you as a woman and a member of the Wizengamot, you need to understand that if I were to tell you anything, it may turn your stomach. Are you sure you want to know?" Augusta remained silent. "Last warning, Ma'am, are you willing to risk losing your breakfast?"

"It's not like I've had the appetite to eat much in the past couple of days," the old woman said with a sigh. "Please, continue," she said with a small nod.

"Psychometry revealed that Lord Potter put up quite a fight in order to buy time for his wife and son to evacuate. He kept that… thing occupied for what seemed like 5 minutes. He fell to the maniac's signature spell, the Killing Curse. After collecting young Harry, Lady Potter attempted to activate a Portkey, which failed for some reason we have not yet been able to determine. She was forced to face the attacker in the nursery. After that, something… odd happened, as there was a lot of interference with the psychometry, so the sequence of events is… sketchy. One thing is certain. When the interference finally cleared up, Lady Potter had disappeared along with her son, that… _creature's_ head was removed from the rest of his body with a blade and was crushed underfoot. The poor boy's nursery was covered in blood and fragments of things I'd rather not think about. Under further investigation, we could not find any weapons that could have inflicted that sort of damage in the house." By the time the Acting Minister finished, the old woman looked slightly nauseated, and had to lean against the wall.

"If there is anything that can be said about you, you certainly don't pull any punches," she said with a deep sigh. Crouch raised his wand to summon a nearby chair, but was stopped by Augusta. "I'll be fine… Eventually." She cleared her throat, straightened her clothes and put on her regular business-as-usual smile. "Thank you, Director, and allow me to wish you good luck with the challenges of your new position. Merlin knows you got your work cut out for you."

"Are you sure you are feeling alright, Ma'am? Should I call someone to see you home safe?"

"Oh, don't worry about me, you don't get to reach my age without learning to take bad news, even gruesome ones at that, in your stride. Not to mention your staff would be needed here."

"Right you are, Ma'am. Now that you mentioned it, I still have some affairs of my own to put in order. A good day to you. If you will excuse me," said Crouch as he lowered the privacy ward and walked off towards the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

 _ **Frank Longbottom**_

"C'mon, Nev, don't worry. Jump!" said Frank as he encouraged his son. Little Neville was walking precariously on the sofa and looked sheepishly at the floating golden snitch plushie zooming around his head and stopping every so often in front of him. With another careful look at his father's extended arms, he jumped. With a swish of his wand, Frank started to levitate him. The boy started swimming through the air, chasing the toy. He was about to hit the bookcase when he did a flip turn worthy of an olympic swimmer and, with an extra push off of the wooden frame, he caught the golden snitch.

"Be careful, you two," Alice said with an absent minded smile, all the while reading the evening copy of the Daily Prophet. "Frank, if you want to play like that, at least set some pillows on the floor. Don't want him to break anything, especially now." She sounded extremely tired. Frank picked Neville up and came closer to his wife.

"Are you alright, darling?" asked Frank, as he caught the floating baby out of the air and smoothed out his hair.

"You could call it cabin fever," she replied with a resigned sigh. "It's been close to a year since Nev was born and I still haven't had a chance to take him to a proper walk outside. I hate being cooped up in the house for this long. I want to leave. I want to feel the warmth of the sun on my skin. I want to have Neville smile at the sun, as he should have been able to since the day he was born. I want us to breathe fresh air. I want out…" A single tear rolled on her cheek. Frank sat down next to her and, holding Neville in his left arm, put the other arm around his wife and placed a soft kiss her on the top of her head.

"I know, sweetie, but… you know why we can't do that. It's still not safe for us out there just yet. Yes, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has been slain and most of his followers have been rounded up or killed by the Aurors, some of these bastards are still at large. However, we'll get out of here soon, I promise."

The tender moments came to a swift end as one of the house elves rushed through the door.

"Master Frank, owl brought letter for you," said the tiny being as she held up a folded note. He made to take it, but hesitated when his wife cleared her throat. Loudly.

"Have you checked for any traces of harmful charms, Loly?" Alice piped up from her place, eyes on the folded piece of paper.

"Yes, Mistress," replied the elf, as she nodded vigorously, her oversized ears flopping about comically. "Has magic on it. The magic Mistress Gusta always used to add secrets to what she wrote."

"I see. Thank you, Loly, I'll take it. You may return to your duties," said Frank, as he opened the note and quickly skimmed it. The handwriting was not unfamiliar, but sort of… unexpected and definitely… odd.

 _Frank,_

 _It has been too long since this Pup's written you._

 _Virgo's Brightest has finally decided to cast his light upon his scion. And, wouldn't you know it, it is definitely not this bad pup. Not after I walked through the mud. But, hey, at least I don't have to take a bath and put in those awkward pretty bow, I've always hated that. I still need to teach this kid some tricks and how to sniff out friend and foe before the light fades._

 _I got the ball you threw me, the one your mother brought home, and the fact that it smelled of cat is definitely worrisome. You might want to change the cleaner, as Whitebeard's soaps have been known to stain the fabric, more or less on purpose, to keep someone's business so to say. I would not hand him anything, if I could help it, because, sparkly white as his beard might be, there's always soot on his fingers. Change the soap. If you can, try to find the Longbottom family long lost recipe. I know for a fact, it has been battle tested. Make sure you wash your mother's clothes THE INSTANT she returns from the park. She reeks of cat._

 _Unfortunately, this pup can't come out to play, but the Italian kid in our year will definitely drop by, loaded for bear. Bring out some of your toys as well. I strongly recommend you all go camping, I hear the city is getting a bit crowded and we all need a vacation. I will join you as soon as I can. School can be a bit… ruff._

 _Best wishes,_

 _The Dirty Pup_

 _P.S.: It is only fair to let you know the scion has been chosen from outside the main kennel, so Shiny Coat and Orion's bitch, as well as their spawns are no longer allowed to play for top dog._

 _P.P.S.:Also, don't forget to water the Devil's Snare before you leave. I solemnly swear you always forgot to do that even in school._

Frank took a deep sigh and reread the letter, trying to make some sense of it.

"Who's it from?" asked Alice, noticing his puzzled look.

"It's from Sirius Black. An odd letter if anything, especially for my cousin. Here, read it for yourself and tell me what you make of it," he said as he handed her the letter.

"A joker through and through. He sure knows how to write an entertaining letter," she replied shortly after with a small laugh.

"You mean you understand all of this… insane letter?"

"You're related to him, you've been housemates with him and James Potter for five years at Hogwarts and you're still not used to his writing?" Frank questioningly raised an eyebrow. "Fine, let me translate it for you."

"Still. How in Merlin's name do you understand what he wrote?"

"He used to write me… when we were in school…" Alice whispered. "I never responded," she added quickly when she noticed Frank's eyes go wide. "But the letters were too fun not to read. He was trying to sound smart, while playing the goofball." Her husband gave a little laugh.

"Yes, he was a bit of a ladies man in school."

"Now, do you want me to tell you what he said in the damn letter or not?" Frank nodded, all the while smiling. "He says that Arcturus Black, the Lord of House Black, has chosen his heir and, to Sirius's joy, it is not him. He's been dirtied by associating himself with lessers. To his dismay, he has to teach the Lord or Lady to be how to run the family affairs." Frank rolled his eyes.

"Fine, fine. What do you make of this drivel about my mother smelling of cat pee?"

"What is Sirius' pet of choice?"

"The dog."

"And, in the old wisdom, what are cats to dogs?"

"Natural enemies. Of course. My mother has been tagged with a tracking charm by someone who is not looking for our best interest. That would mean that the cleaner and Whitebeard's soaps are a metaphor for the wards that Dumbledore's set up around the house." Frank sighed deeply again.

"Does he mean he suspects there's something wrong with Professor Dumbledore's wards?" Alice eyes widened in a look of puzzlement and shock. "Are we safe here?"

"Don't worry, we're still OK. Sirius gave us the solution. Each Ancient House has their own ancestral war wards. They are rarely used… I almost forgot about them. So, he says we should change the wards as soon as Mother is home."

"Great. Let's do that," Alice said, relieved.

"Still the rest of the letter makes even less sense."

"Sirius says he can't come here, as he's tied up, most likely with family business, but he will have Remus join us for added protection. The Post Scriptum mentioned something about the heir is not from the main family. The last part is… most likely something you would know." his wife said, looking somewhat amused.

"A password. Of course."

"What does that even mean? We don't keep that blasted plant in our greenhouses. And Sirius knows I hate the damned things. That saying though… _"I Solemnly swear"_ … that sounds like something Sirius and his posse would say a lot in school. Made them sound so pompous." Alice fell quiet as she looked at it.

"Are you sure that is all?" Frank asked a moment later. "I mean, yes, he is can be a damned good joker. Most of the time. But he is dead serious when he means it. There must be something else to it, or he would not have written in such a manner."

"Here, let me try something," his wife said as she took her wand and tapped the letter. " _Revelio_ …" The letter remained unchanged.

"Honey, you gave me an idea…" Frank pulled out his own wand. " _Specialis revelio_ …" The piece of paper flashed for an instant. "Oh, that brilliant sonuvabitch… He did indeed hide something in the text. But how to uncover it?" It was Alice's turn to chime in with a suggestion.

"You could try their catchphrase…"

"You might be onto something. Well… here goes nothing. _I solemnly swear I hate Devil's Snares_ ," he said as he tapped the piece of paper. The text of the letter seemed to fade, the ink running and shifting to reveal a new message.

 _Good. You deciphered it._

 _Now, I don't know why, but the wards placed on James' safehouse somehow broke with little difficulty when Ol' Morty attacked them. Lily's portkey almost burned her hand off. Whoever your Secret Keeper is, I hope it's not someone the Hogwarts Headmaster picked for you._

 _Now Frank, if you ever trusted me, even in the slightest, I implore you. Do NOT trust any security measures you, Alice or Augusta have not set in place yourselves. Avoid Portkeys. Better yet, always have your House Elves nearby, to take everyone they can away if you are attacked and the wards fail. Human wards cannot stop an elf, no matter how powerful the caster is._

"Well…" Frank said with a heavy sigh, after reading the message a couple more times. "It seems we have our work cut out for us. Alice, be a dear and get my mother. It's time to bring out the incantations for the old Longbottom wards."

He took his jacket off, rolled up his sleeves and started tracing the walls with his wand.

 **November 3rd**

 _ **Alastor Moody**_

His vision was blurry. He had to blink several times to be able to see his surroundings clearly. The sunlight shone through the sheer curtains to reveal walls of a dull white and privacy screens of a clean faded green. It wasn't anything he hadn't seen already when being at the mercy of a healer. He strained his ears to hear something, anything… Nothing at all. He raised his hand to feel at his left now-useless eye and all he felt was the coarse texture of the bandages. It seemed to have sunk lower into his skull than it should have. Yet there was no pain.

'At least the Healers did their job…' he thought to himself. He heard a door open somewhere on his blind side. Three voices.

"… a real wonder he could stand, let alone fight with a crude, improvised prosthetic," one of the voices declared. It was a woman.

"Never underestimate this man's ability to fight, no matter how badly he's outnumbered." It was the younger of his colleagues, Dawlish. "He is a different breed of combatant altogether. Once he retires, the Department will be all the weaker for it."

The faded green screen was suddenly pulled back and Alastor Moody came face to face with a person he had never seen before, a short-haired woman in her late forties. He saw she was wearing a skirt suit, with a bulge under one arm which looked like a gun holster. Next to her was a taller man with completely white hair in a well-worn Healer's uniform.

"Good morning Auror Moody," said Adam Dawlish as he got close. He looked relieved. The woman regarded him with a critical eye, while the older man simply seemed intrigued.

"Good morning to you too, Adam." His voice was hoarse. "Healer Wood," he acknowledged the man, with a nod, and turned to the woman. "Alastor Moody," he introduced himself. "And who might you be?"

"Liaison to Her Majesty's Government, Judy Dawlish," the woman followed up, not even blinking.

"My mother," motioned Adam, as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Liaison? What interest would Her Majesty's Government," the Auror spat last few words, "have with what has been going on this side of the veil? I was under the impression that, as long as the Statute of Secrecy was upheld, they would let us be. And they haven't given two knuts about us until now."

"You were right, Adam. He is as blunt as they come. No need to be rude, Mr. Moody," said Mrs. Dawlish.

"It's Auror… Moody. And I prefer not beating around the bush. Now, why did the Muggle Government suddenly decide to send a liaison?"

"Auror… Your Wizarding War is starting spill over. When this self-styled Lord Voldemort and his so called Death Eaters started attacking non-magical objectives, we needed to step in. However, we couldn't do much, not without risking revealing your existence to the rest of the world. We publicly branded them as terrorists. All of our law enforcement agencies have been alerted to keep an eye out for all their known associates and to not engage, but inform us immediately. That is how the Department of Mysteries found some of your targets."

"I must have missed that memo," replied Moody, visibly annoyed with the situation. "Auror Dawlish… what happened after the battle?"

"The emergency Portkeys we got from the DoM dropped us off Saint Mungo's Emergency ward."

"Well, Alastor," Healer Wood intervened, "we did our best to counter some of the curses you and your colleagues ve been hit with. Let's take you, for example. We attempted to regrow the bone and muscles that have been removed, yet the curse that has been used rendered the Skele-Gro and the Muscle Malt… useless. Your patch job, on the other hand, seemed to be far more effective."

"When you've been at it as long as I have, Aeson," said Moody, "you learn to make do with what's at hand."

"Hope you don't mind me saying, but given your… fighting prowess, you could not have picked a better replacement."

"What of the eye?"

"Last time you were here, you said that, if anything happened to your eyes, we should not attempt to fix or regrow them."

"Can't afford loss of acuity, not in this line of work," growled Moody. "Moreover, I have a far more suitable substitute waiting for me at the Ministry." He turned his face towards his fellow Auror. "Adam, please check my vest pocket, there's a small key ring. Pick the smallest one and open the last lock of my trunk in my office. Retrieve the black box you find and give it to Healer Wood. He will know what to do with it. I would be grateful if you would complete this task within the hour."

"Understood," replied Adam, thankful he had an excuse to get out of there.

"Now, what of the rest of my team?" the old Auror enquired. "Graves? The Unspeakables?"

"I have no information on the Unspeakables. A representative from the DoM has retrieved all three of them. Graves's in the other room recovering from his wounds. He's with his wife. He should be able to leave within the next couple of days."

"Good."

"Now, if you'll excuse me," the Healer said, "I need to check up on a couple more patients. And, if the item your colleague will bring is what I suspect, I need speak to Healer Ainsley about giving me a hand with the… _transplant_. And the fitting of a Muggle-made prosthetic, which will allow you to regain most of your previous agility."

"Aeson, one more thing." Moody's voice was softer than he'd let himself be in a long time. "I know your son is married with a Muggle. Those sons of bitches the Ministry's tasked us to catch have targeted mainly those outspoken against the so called Tenets of Blood Purity. Tell me… is your family safe?"

"Oh, yes…" the Healer sighed. "I've made sure they are out of reach. My wife, along with my son and his wife and son, are hiding somewhere in Spain, at one of my daughter-in-law's relatives. Haven't seen them in almost seven years." He seemed to be drifting in thought. A smile lit his face a moment later. "But, with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's demise and if you and your fellow Aurors keep doing your job as you have done lately, I will be able to meet my grandson… Oliver. He's seven years old now."

"Patch me up and I promise you, you will meet him before Easter next year," Moody replied as he returned the smile, which warped his already scarred face. For those who were unfamiliar with him, such as was Mrs. Dawlish, it was an unnerving sight. Placing a hand on his patient's shoulder, Aeson nodded in gratitude, excused himself and left the room. It was just the opportunity Mrs. Dawlish seemed to had been waiting, for, as soon as the door closed, she laid into him.

"Why, in God's good name did you bring my son on that mission?" She was visibly miffed. "Your Director was told to send whomever he thought would be best for the job. I for one expected you to bring someone more experienced. Like my husband." Moody cringed.

"If you do have intel on our orders," he said, clearing his throat, "you are aware of the fact that the Aurors and Unspeakables are spread thin as it is. You, of course, are right in stating that your husband John has the field experience and has been battle tested."

"Then, why did you not pick him for this mission? Why pick Adam?"

"Because your husband no longer displays the same endurance as he once had. Because, while you see Adam as nothing more than your son, which is understandable, he is a far superior strategist than his father, with better aim and far larger magical reserves. His Academy transcript lists him as a Mind Magics prodigy. And the DoM intel indicated a high probability that Rosier might have had Mulciber with him."

"And did you encounter Mulcifer there?"

"That's Mulciber. And I honestly don't know if he was there at all. We had more Death Eaters in the house than intel suggested, one of which was too badly burned to confirm the identity by sight alone. So Adam was the far better choice, given what we could have gone up against. He was invaluable, keeping his wits about him better than any one of us. And, to top everything off, he saved my sorry hide. I stand by my choice. If anything, I owe your son my life, Ma'am."

"As a mother, I am not happy with this," said Judy, "but, as a strategist myself, I cannot fault your choice of team." She made to leave the room. "Oh, and of the three Unspeakables, only one was killed. The other two are currently in Intensive Care, at a DoM-MI6 joint medical location. I am told they will eventually fully full recover. I thought you would like to know."

"Thank you," growled Moody.

"There is one more thing to settle," Judy remembered just before opening the door. "The unofficial bounty Her Majesty's Government has placed on the terrorists you and your team have neutralized." Moody was quiet for a second.

"You can give my share to the family of the fallen Unspeakable. They will need that more than me."

"Your partners said the exact same thing." For the first time today, she smiled a bittersweet smile. "John told me about you, Auror Moody. You and your team don't do this for the glory or for the gold. You are in it for something else."

"Oh?" Moody sounded intrigued and felt a slight tug at the bandages that covered his left eye, as though his eyebrow was raised.

"You preserve the old ways as though you are trying to keep alive something akin to the Code of Honor of the Knights of the Round Table."

"Oh… hah…" Moody gave out a raspy chuckle. "I supposed I should thank you. That is the closest thing to a compliment that does not revolve around my combat prowess I have received in decades."

"I wish you a speedy recovery. You did promise Healer Wood something and it would not do for an honorable man like you to break that promise."

Judy Dawlish gave a small nod, which Moody reciprocated, and left the room.

 _ **Remus Lupin**_

Remus always hated travelling by portkey. For the regular witch or wizard, it was awkward and uncomfortable. But he was no regular wizard. The heightened senses granted by his… condition, were a blessing at times, allowing him to avoid and escape many dangerous situations. Travelling by portkey, alongside with the associated feeling of having a hook pulling him from somewhere behind the navel to whatever location it was linked to, always affected his sense of smell and balance far worse.

This time was no different, as he landed hard on the wet ground. A sharp pain shot through his right knee, causing his eyes to tear up. He took a moment to get his bearings, to still the ringing from his ears and to blow his nose in an attempt to regain his unhindered sense of smell. A few seconds later, he got up and noticed the path that led him out of the clearing and through the woods.

He perked up his ears and tried to hear anything that would be out of the ordinary. It was quiet. Almost too quiet. But for the faintest heartbeat. It was fast, as if it was a tightly wound clock. He was not alone.

'Whatever it is, it's afraid,' he thought to himself. 'Good.' He expelled all the air in his lungs and inhaled deeply. A whiff carried on the slight breeze entered his nostrils. The scent had a delicate trace of magic, which seemed restrained. Remus smiled. He knew exactly what it was. Deciding to test out his theory, he put his wand away.

"If thy comes on thine master's behalf, announce thine presence." With a resounding pop, something appeared just behind him. He did not turn to face the creature.

"You know Old Elves' customs?" a squeaky voice spoke up. Remus nodded. It was just as he suspected. "Are you Mister Wolfie?" it asked. He couldn't help but chuckle, as he could never take anything a house elf would say seriously. It always sounded too funny for him.

"Would you believe me if I simply said yes?"

At that very moment, Remus felt the tip of a wand pressing against the back of his neck. 'Funny, there was nothing there a moment ago,' he thought to himself. A short sniff told him who the would be attacker was. "Ah, a very good day to you too, Mrs Longbottom. No surprise you would come to greet me here. I simply came to return the silver fork," he said as he raised the now inactive portkey. "I may not have been raised in a lavish household, but I know it is generally considered bad manners to break up a set of silverware."

"Manners? Impressive? How am I to know you haven't consumed Polyjuice Potion and didn't take this from the person who was really meant to come here?" asked the disembodied voice of the old Longbottom matriarch. "Tell me. How am I to know if you are not an impostor?"

"An impostor would insist he is who he says he is and possibly attempt to defend himself. I, on the other hand, submit myself to your scrutiny, for as long as you can afford to spare."

"Are you certain you want to do this? I would be able to tell if you are lying or not."

"I believe I know about myself enough to not have anything to worry about."

"We'll see about that. Who was the girl Frank tried to set Remus Lupin up with back in 1975?" A few seconds passed. He felt the wand dig slightly further into his neck, as if to find a certain spot.

"Pandora. Pandora Cathbad," he said with a sigh. "But she was dating Xeno Lovegood at the time, so that fell through fast."

Augusta Longbottom dispelled the Disillusionment charm and silently handed him a piece of paper. As he read it, he realised exactly where he was.

"You have put the seat of House Longbottom under a Fidelius? With Frank and Alice in it? Isn't it a matter of public knowledge? Wouldn't it be listed in the Ministry Archives?" The woman gave a chuckle.

"They're not in the Longbottom Manor and I am not giving away their actual location," she replied. "The building I indicated is still within our domain, but it only serves as the place we are going to take a secure and private Floo connection to them and bring them back to the house. I've already activated the wards."

"You did think of everything, Madam. Lead the way."

 **Barty Crouch Sr**

A loud knock in the middle of the night awoke the new Interim Minister for Magic. Not that he was asleep, but he needed the least bit of sleep if he should function at a proper standard, so, of course, he would rest the best he could in the confines of his office. When a second knock came, he rubbed his eyes and checked the time. It was little over three o'clock. He opened the door and listened to the brief report the young Auror brought.

"House Longbottom has been attacked, you say?" Bartemius Crouch Sr asked. "How could that be? I thought they were under a Fidelius Charm. How could they have been found?"

"Unknown, sir. But the perpetrators have been apprehended, all of them bearing the Dark Mark. Three of them are members of the Ancient House of Lestrange we have previously suspected to have sided with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Rabastan, his brother Rodolphus and his wife Bellatrix. The last one, however…"

"What's wrong?" Crouch temper was flaring. It was late, there another crisis to be dealt with and the schmuck in front of him was looking like he was about to puke. "Spit it out. NOW!"

"The last one's name is… Bartemius Crouch Jr."

Sensing his blood boiling and a slight nervous tremble about to overtake him, he turned his back to the man in front of him. He would need time to figure out how his wife deal with the impact of the news that their son was one of the madmen who'd terrorized their world in the past couple of years. He suddenly felt a century older than he was, but he couldn't show any sign of weakness, not now. Taking a few steps closer to his desk, he bid the man in.

"Any sign of the suspects not having acted of their own volition? Any sign of them being under the Imperius Curse?" he asked, keeping a neutral tone. After all, it was a standard question. Especially with the times they were living.

"None. Then again, until we run a more thorough check, we can not be certain," the young Auror said.

"Of course. What is the preliminary report?"

"You will be glad to hear there are no fatalities. Frank Longbottom has been subjected to and is currently being treated for heavy exposure to the Cruciatus Curse. His wife and son are safe, but still in shock. The old lady is suffering from magical exhaustion."

"What of the attackers?"

"They incurred severe injuries, but nothing life threatening. Rodolphus Lestrange has a punctured lung. His brother lost an arm. The woman has a shattered kneecap and four broken ribs. Your son…"

"Who, with regards to this investigation, shall be henceforth referred to as Barty Crouch Jr," the Director said, in a deadpan manner. "Don't sugar coat it or you will not make it far in this department. And don't you dare make it sound like I should offer him preferential treatment. He will be submitted to the same investigation and justice process as every single one of them. Continue."

"Of- of course, sir," the Auror stuttered. "Crouch Jr was pinned to the floor by a china cabinet."

Barty Crouch Sr walked to the bookcase behind his desk and pulled out a book that he simply set on the desk. From behind it, he pulled out an old looking bottle filled with an amber liquid. The label read Blishen's Emberwhiskey. He poured himself a glass and downed it in a single swig.

"Anyone else present we should know about?"

"No, sir."

"Were any of the attackers treated for their injuries?" Crouch asked.

"Basic first aid, to stop the bleeding. Nothing else."

"Good. Have Auror Longbottom moved to the secure ward, with two guards at the door, and place the rest of his family in protective custody. I want no one but his mother to know where they are."

"Auror Longbottom's family will most likely demand to stay by his side."

"Must I really think of everything?" the man asked angrily. "If need be, get them a couple of emergency doses of Polyjuice potion and have them in the same ward. Or have them moved into a secure location and get one of St Mungo's doctors transferred to where ever YOU decide to stick them in. I don't care if you have to throw a dart at the map or draw it out of the hat, make sure no one, and I mean NO ONE, from this ministry knows where they are. Have Mrs Longbottom obliviate you if necessary. Until we weed out all of his supporters, we can't trust anyone."

"What of the suspects?"

"Get Mrs Lestrange in Interrogation Room 1. Make sure she is leaking Veritaserum from every pore and let Scrimgeour wring the truth out of her. That should make his day."

"And Bartemius Crouch Jr.?"

"I will handle him alone. Have him moved to Room 2 and block the door to the adjacent observation room." He poured another glass of Emberwhiskey. "I want the preliminary report of the first responders on my desk within the hour," he added as the Auror left. The young man nodded and closed the door behind him.

After finishing the drink, the Head of Magical Law Enforcement and soon-to-be Interim Minister for Magic looked at the glass in his hand. Thoughts were whirring through his head. Dark thoughts.

"This will be the end of Victoria," he said to himself. "Our son having been branded a slave… Hell… this will be the end of the Crouch name. I couldn't have picked a worse time to get named Minister, even if it's temporary." In a moment of weakness, he threw the glass against the wall behind him, shattering it into a million pieces. He closed his eyes and massaged his aching temples, running his hands through his greying hair. "I need to play this right."

With a swish of his wand, the glass reformed itself, as if it had never been broken. If only the solution to his problems would have been that easy.

-Section Break-

He stood in the shadows behind Rufus Scrimgeour as his colleague went through a meaningless cycle of control questions in order to ensure the truth serum had taken hold. Alas, his thoughts were not on the two people in front of him.

'How could that foolish boy shame our family so?' Crouch asked himself. 'Have we not provided him with everything he could have wished for to be a productive member of society?' He was snapped out of his musings when he heard the woman in the chair speak a name.

"… Mundungus. Dung… Fletcher? He claimed he had the portkey coordinates for the place where the Longbottoms had been hiding."

"Provided by whom?" Crouch asked, in a growling voice. He couldn't stop himself, the question had simply slipped out.

"He claimed he didn't remember. Just that he had to give them to me," said the woman cuffed to the chair in a monotonous voice.

"And that didn't strike you as peculiar at all?" Rufus asked, intrigued. "Why did he have to give them to you? Why did he wish to betray the Longbottoms? By all reports we have, they were part of the same group who had been actively opposing your… what did you call him again? Master?"

"No. Who am I to deny the Dark Lord such delicious information? He wouldn't turn away anyone willing to assist his ascension to his rightful place. Maybe Fletcher decided he was done fighting for the wrong side and thought he would through his wand in with my Master, in hopes he, a Mudblood, would be praised and, most of all, spared."

"A reasonable assumption," Scrimgeour said. "After all, had I been as useless as Mr. Fletcher with magic, I would hedge my bets and play both sides of the war. But, then again, if that were the case, I wouldn't be the one questioning you, would I?" Bellatrix Lestrange's eyes were blank, while Crouch's twinkled. He'd noticed it too. "Know what," he continued, "I don't think sharing this information was Dung's idea. He's an inferior form of life, of that we can all be certain. But, I doubt he would have had access to such privileged information, the more or less exact whereabouts of the Head of one of the Noble Houses, nor would have had the balls to betray one of his companions. How did you get to Fletcher? Did you capture him and torture him for information?"

"No, he sought me out of his own volition."

"And you didn't think it odd? It could have been a trap set by your _Master_ 's sworn enemy, Albus Dumbledore."

"It is a matter of public knowledge," Bellatrix said, "no matter how recent, that Dumbledore and the Longbottoms didn't quite see eye to eye on many a topic."

"Let's set it straight, he was trying to usurp power from one of the oldest Houses in the United Kingdom," Crouch intervened.

"For all I care, he could have served them up on a silver platter, and I could care less."

"Yet, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has been vanquished only days ago," continued Crouch, unfazed. "Somehow, I doubt even a shithead like Dung Fletcher would be stupid enough to side with you, after that. So, it is fair to assume you didn't into him in the past couple of days?"

"No, I met him weeks ago."

"For all you know, Dumbledore might have modified his memory, provided him with those coordinates and simply set him in your path. And I ask you again. You didn't think this might have been a trap. Why? "

"As long as we took many of those blood traitors with us, I would be happy. The Dark Lord would have approved."

"That answer tells me you didn't check for any memory altering charms prior to acting upon Dung's information. You played right into Dumbledore's hands."

"Please tell me why are you so keen on involving Dumbledore in this? No, Dumbledore did not have anything to do with it. The ease with which we found them and got to them, stands as a testament to the Dark Lord's genius. If Dumbledore laid a trap for us, he would have employed far better protection. Whoever had Fletcher leak the Longbottom's location, did not wish to protect them. Those wards were weak. Far weaker than they should have been, and would have probably failed within a month."

"Rufus, please remind me, don't we have a record of who placed the wards that would have raised an alarm with the Ministry and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?" Crouch asked his subordinate.

"Of course, Sir," replied Scrimgeour and rifled through the papers in front of him. "The wards were cast by one Augusta Longbottom, Matriarch of the House, and one Albus Dumbledore, as leader of the group known as the Order of the Phoenix, who decided to undertake the responsibility of protecting the Longbottom's into their own hands."

"What of the ward tied to the Ministry Response Team, do we have any record of who cast that particular ward?"

"It would seem to be Albus Dumbledore's work, Sir."

"If it was Dumbledore or not, I honestly don't care, those wards were bound to fail soon," said Bellatrix. "And if you really wish to know who instructed Mr. Fletcher to seek me out, why don't you ask him directly? I am sure he should still be in London, trying to pawn off the silverware he stole from me. Who knows, maybe you would be so kind as to catch him before he does that. You see, they're a family heirloom and I would so love to have them returned to me."

"Oh, we will have a little chat with our old friend Dung Fletcher soon," Rufus said. "I still don't know one thing. How did he find you? A known supporter of the most hated and hunted wizard in all of Great Britain surely knows how to hide better than that."

"Why don't you ask your son, Barty?" she replied, looking straight into Crouch's eyes. "He was the one that brought him to me, after he heard that dung beetle spout off his importance. He was the one that convinced him to spill the beans in the hope if a reward."

Crouch shot her an evil look.

"Get her to tell you everything about what happened tonight and of any other Death Eaters she has knowledge of." Scrimgeour nodded. "And I mean everything."

"No worries, Sir," his subordinate said, setting his wand on the table. "If need be, I will pry them from her mind and have the Department of Mysteries sort them out."

"Keep her functional, will you? Anything less and the Daily Prophet will have a field day," growled Crouch and stormed out. His aide was waiting just outside the room.

"Your orders sir?"

"Put the word out, get every available Auror tracking down that naffin con Fletcher and quietly. He might be the key to unravelling who was behind the attack and, if word gets out we're looking for him, I doubt the Death Eaters would be kind enough to gift wrap him for us."

"Understood. Sir, as per your request, Mr. Crouch Jr. is waiting right next door. Would you like to have us administer Veritaserum to him before you begin your interrogation?"

"No, let him stew for a little bit longer. I'll go to him in a couple of minutes."

His aide heading to the on-call Auror pit, he felt he needed to compose himself before facing his son, the one who just might be the downfall of the Crouch family name before he could attain what they have all worked towards for the past two centuries. It was finally within their grasp and that petulant child would be their doom.

He entered his office and checked the pendulum clock hanging on the wall. It chimed 5 o'clock. The hour of the wolf. If the old tales were to be believed, it was the hour when most people die, when sleep is deepest, when nightmares are most real. But he did not have time for superstition. Feeling the pressure of the next couple of hours, he conjured up a cup of coffee.

He took a look at the early morning edition of the Prophet on his desk. The front page was shared by the two main news of the morning. The first one, covering a half of the front page, read _THE ANCIENT AND MOST NOBLE HOUSE OF LONGBOTTOM ATTACKED_. No photo was included, but showed their coat of arms stabbed by multiple daggers. The brief caption below simply said what was already public knowledge.

 _Late last night, the seat House of Longbottom was attacked by an unknown number of assailants, who broke through increased security._

 _Lord Frank Longbottom has been staunch opponent of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and a fierce advocate of wizarding equality since he took over the role of Head of House from his mother, the venerable Augusta Longbottom. Sources indicate all the members of the Longbottom family have survived the attack, which all signs point to have been orchestrated by the remnants of You-Know-Who's inner circle._

 _Continued on page 3._

Right underneath, in a font usually reserved for emergencies, the second title read: _MILLICENT BAGNOL - SACKED! BARTEMIUS CROUCH SR APPOINTED INTERIM MINISTER FOR MAGIC_. Underneath the title, there was his picture, stern and brooding, scowling back at him.

 _In the wake of the attack on the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter and the demise of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, Bartemius Crouch Sr., Head of the Department for Magical Law Enforcement, has been named Interim Minister for Magic, as former the Minister, Millicent Bagnol, has been deemed unfit to hold the office any longer, due to what the Wizengamot considered irreconcilable differences._

 _Mr. Crouch has been the Director for the DMLE for the past decade, spearheading the fight against You-Know-Who and his followers, the self-styled Death Eaters. Sources within the Wizengamot have stated the wizarding community needs reassurance and who would be better suited to provide it if not the one who, in spite of the numerous hindrances and shortages caused by the War, has kept us all safe ._

 _While his track record speaks for itself, Mr. Crouch is known for his stern demeanor, which, some would say, could be the exact opposite of the Wizengamot's wishes with his naming. An Auror under his direct command once jokingly stated that he would even prosecute his own family if he thought they've gone dark. Whether it is a good move on the Wizengamot's part, we will only see._

 _More to follow as the news unfolds._

'Well… it could've been worse,' Crouch thought to himself, as he poured another glass of Emberwhiskey. 'They could have named the attackers. Sources or not, it's good some secrets can still be kept.'

He stood up from his desk and downed the glass instantly. The fiery warmth of the liquid spread through his body, yet he felt cold and stiff. The little sleep and added stress seems to have taken its toll on him. He couldn't show any sign of weakness, not now when he was so close to his life's goal.

It was time. He opened his office door and walked out towards the interrogation room where his son was waiting. Having seen the state he was in, the few people still present on the corridors did not ask him anything and simply stepped out of his way. He placed a faintly trembling hand on the door knob, steeled his nerves and opened the door.

The first thing Crouch saw was a familiar shock of disheveled straw-coloured hair. The young man looked up and met his father's eyes. His eyes were red and puffy - had he been crying, Crouch asked himself. His son looked terrible, far skinnier than when he last saw him, his once subtle freckles now akin to pockmarks against his pale and gaunt face.

"Have they been treating you OK?" Bartemius Crouch Sr. asked. "Do you need anything?"

"Father, please, there must have been a misunderstanding!" Barty Crouch Jr. said in a shaky voice.

"You've been found in the company of known Death Eaters. What do you have to say about that?"

"I… Nothing…"

"Do you deny your association with those who attacked the Longbottoms?"

"Yes! No…" Crouch Sr noticed his son looked distraught.

"Listen, Barty," he said in a softer voice. "You need to understand, you've been missing for months, your mother and I didn't know anything about you. You want me to help? I need to know what happened. Both in the past months and tonight."

"I… don't… remember. Honestly, Father, I don't."

Crouch Sr. could barely contain his anger, but, as much as he would have liked to throttle the man in front of him, he was still his son. He wished that was not the case.

He cursed under his breath - he needed to figure out who allowed the Prophet to make his naming public and, thus, have the entirety of the magical community have their eyes affixed on him to have this mess cleaned up.

He needed time to figure it out, yet time was the one thing he did not have.

He needed another drink.

That was IT. A drink would loosen his son's lips. He conjured a bottle with a familiar amber drink, alongside a couple of glasses.

"Look, we both had a long night, and Merlin knows we could use something to warm our bones." He sat down across the table and set his wand aside. "Drink up."

"I'm not thirsty," his son replied, in a hushed voice. The young man was fidgeting, his hands now in his lap, obscured by the table.

"You sure?" he asked as he pulled a glass and poured. "It might be the last decent drink for a long time." His son shot him a distrustful look look. "Ah, of course. You fear I might have added Veritaserum to this fine drink." He raised his glass and downed it. "Should that have been the case, I wouldn't be able to lie." Clearing his voice, he declared loud and proud, "I hereby solemnly swear I am a pink unicorn in human form." That got a chuckle out of his son.

"You have lost your damn mind, Father," said Barty. His son poured a bit of the amber liquid and took a sip. Both shared a smile, one so bitter some would say they just drank bile, not one of the most exquisite liquors the wizarding world had to offer.

The air between them was tense enough to cut with a knife. A few minutes passed, as the old man tried to get a read on his son, trying to get into his mind, while Barty was slowly rocking back and forth, with his eyes closed. Crouch Sr. broke the silence.

"I am pretty sure you didn't get a chance to read the Prophet," he said. "The front page had two big headlines. One was that I had been named the Interim Minister for Magic."

"Congratulations, Father," his son said, sarcasm oozing out of every word. "I know you've been working SO hard for this. Hard enough to forget you have a family."

"The other was that the Longbottoms had been attacked," he continued without missing a beat. "Let me give you an update on that story, they are naming you and your cohorts responsible for one of the most brutal attacks that had been perpetrated by Death Eaters. They are calling for all of you to be handed over to the Dementors. As much as I would like to say we have all the time in the world to figure out the truth, the truth is we don't have that luxury. So, unless you give me something, anything at all, not only will you be dooming yourself but everything I have worked so hard for." He poured himself another glass of Emberwhiskey, downed it in a single gulp and slammed it against the table, shattering it. A trickle of liquid ran down his stubbled chin.

"Careful, Father."

"Tell me what happened and what your part was in all of this and I promise you a fair trial."

"As you wouldn't send me to Azkaban regardless." His son laughed and stood up from the chair. He made for his wand, but noticed his muscles were not listening to him. "I believe you might have had one too many, for you to say such things. If they were to see you now, tired and drunk while interrogating one under suspicion of being a Death Eater, what do you think they would say?" The young man collected his father's wand off the table, pointed at the door and cast an Imperturbable Charm on it. "We don't want to be disturbed, do we?"

"How?"

"How, you ask? Full Body Binding curse. Easy enough to cast with a wand, a bitch to pull it off without one."

"Wandless magic… but how could you? You never showed any aptitude for it."

"Didn't you want me to study for a semester abroad? I did that, in my seventh year, before I took my Newts, in Uagadou, in the Mountains of the Moon, in Uganda. You know, the wand was a European invention. African wizards, on the other hand," his son said, twirling his father's wand carelessly in his fingers, "have relied mostly on incantations and wandless magic. Even with the wands having been introduced in most African countries in the 20th century, most still prefer the old ways. They offered a crash course and I took it. I would still take a wand over anything else, they're simply faster. That curse took me the better part of five minutes to cast."

Crouch Sr. raised an incredulous eyebrow, seemingly impressed, but quickly steeled his face.

"You do know that they are monitoring the room," he said, "and that they would be breaking in and restrain you."

"If they did indeed be monitoring us right now, which I know you forbade them to do it, given who I am, they would have already tried something. Now, would you kindly shut up? _Silencio!_ " The old man felt his voice leaving him and knew it would be pointless to struggle. "See, Father, I remember almost everything you told me about this place. Most spells can be cast safely without triggering an alarm. However, any offensive magic would light up the Auror pit as if it was Christmas."

With his father now restrained and unable to call for help, Barty felt safe enough to finish safe enough to finish his glass of Emberwhiskey, enjoying the subtle aftertaste and the burning sensation down his throat. He sat back down, poured another glass and set it and the aside.

"You wanted to know what happened last night. Let me tell you. I could bore you with how I got to serve the Dark Lord and to be one of his most trusted servants, even for my age. But you, yourself, said we don't have the time.

"We got wind of where the Longbottoms were hiding and how to bypass their wards. We were set to attack as soon as the sun had set, but we found reinforced wards and added traps. Tell me, Father, have you ever attempted to go through the War Wards of an Ancient House? Not to mention the traps they had set up for us. With a bit of finessing around, Rabastan managed to have most of the traps triggered, enough for us to break through the more dangerous protective layers.

"Of course, it triggered some silent alarm wards, because what we found when we entered the house was one angry old bat and one shaggy mongrel, who laid into us with all sorts of curses and hexes the moment we walked in. Rabastan and Rodolphus threw up shields that held long enough for me and Bella to slip through and returned the onslaught a hundred fold. These men have been on the battlefield more half the Aurors you have under your command combined. If you could only see them dueling, oh, what a pleasure! Their wands were a blur of crimson, cutting into their opponents." Going by the tone of Barty's voice, he seemed to revere the Lestranges. "But, alas, I couldn't stay and admire their prowess. I was there for the Heir of House Longbottom and it was not polite to let your host, nor your dance partner, to wait too long. I followed Bella who seemed to know where she was going. After all, she might have attended a Christmas party or two at the Longbottoms when she was a girl."

Crouch Sr. looked in muted horror at his son, talking about last night's attack with such ease. Yet, he was powerless to stop him, so he focused his

"We found practically no resistance along the way. Whatever house elf was still present popped out of our way, however, I did manage to practice the Killing Curse on one or two that were too old or too slow to react. I honestly thought that they kept their reflexes in their old age, otherwise what would be the point in keeping them around?

"The study doors were locked and warded yet again, so it took a couple tries to blast through, but, when we finally did manage to break through, we heard a loud pop. Frank was standing with his back at us, spouting nonsense about Bella no longer standing on decorum and not showing any respect towards her host. Never seen that lady smile a more wicked smile as she curtsied and bowed her head mockingly. That seemed enough for Longbottom, as he turned as well, bowed and went into a defensive dueling stance.

"They fired their curses at the same time, and a lot of them at that, enough to make the air feel thick with magic. It was an exquisite display, the ever so nimble way she danced around him and the way he stood his ground, without budging a single inch. I wish I had a camera set up for that. The Prophet would have paid a sizeable fortune off of that recording. They were a perfect match, but little did Longbottom know, he was being played with. Bella seemed to get tired of toying with her prey and, in an instant, disarmed him with a flick of her wand. That was my cue. I immobilized him while she questioned him. We were not there for him, or at least not for him alone, we needed his wife and his son. He refused to answer and even stooped so low to spit in her face when she promised she would make it quick and painless. Having been sidelined for the entirety of the battle and blood rushing through my veins, that impolite gesture was enough for me to snap.

"I subjected him to a Cruciatus curse so intense, I thought my own wand would break under the strain. I only stopped because Bella asked me to. We couldn't break him just yet, we needed the information. We needed to know where his son was and if there is any way to bring the Dark Lord back. When he didn't answer, Bella picked up where I left off. Seeing Longbottom writhe in agony, screaming at the top of his lungs, made me feel a bliss unlike anything you could ever experience, Father. But, alas, good things aren't meant to last.

"Before we could ask him anything else, the old dame flies in like a bat out of hell and blindsides us. She banished Bella straight into the bookcase, cracking a couple of ribs in the process. If she was here, she and her mongrel must have managed to take out Rodolphus and Rabastan. I tried putting up a fight, but, damn, this woman was deceptively fast, faster than most men a third her age. Soon enough, she disarmed me and knocked me out, just as your Aurors came in. I only woke when I was carted here."

While recounting the night's story to his father, Barty Crouch had been pacing, circling his captive. When he finished, he poured himself another glass of Emberwhiskey.

"It's quiet. I'd like to hear what you think of your son now, knowing what the one you groomed to walk in your footsteps, to be your shadow and your successor." With a wave of his wand, he released his father's voice. Crouch Sr. coughed and cleared his throat.

"You were such a sweet child," he said. "How could you align yourself with these… monsters? How could you fall so low, to cast an Unforgivable Curse?"

"Hah!" his son laughed. "Years of neglect can do that to you, you know."

"How DARE you!?" he barked. "We never…"

"Oh, shut it. How dare I? Yes, you provided for a lavish lifestyle, showering mom and me in gifts, but where were you when I needed a friend, a mentor, a father? Bella filled that gap and taught me more about how to handle myself in the real world than I ever learned from you. Life is not a game of chess, but a battlefield."

Silence engulfed the room for what felt like an eternity.

"What are you going to do now?" Crouch Sr. asked, a minute later. "You are holding me, your Father, the Interim Minister for Magic, prisoner in an interrogation room which is surrounded by two entire shifts of Aurors, deep within the Ministry itself. You can not possibly think you can escape with your life from this. Release me and I will do my best to prevent them from killing you on the spot."

"That's my father for you, trying to talk his way out of trouble. Tell me, did you ever savour even a single fight you fought in your carrier? Or did you simply overpower them and talk them to death?"

"Taking a life takes a toll on your very being."

"Oh, I forgot, you believe you still have a soul to tarnish, so you don't kill, you simply stun and imprison." Barty took another sip of Emberwhiskey, seemingly mulling something over in his mind. "You wanted to be respected, rather than feared. Let me show you what you have missed, what you could have inflicted in your enemies." He ran a hand through his hair, raised his father's wand simply said " _CRUCIO_!"

The pain of thousands of hot knives boring into his skin enveloped Bartemius Crouch Sr. brain, making him writhe on the floor in agony. Outside the interrogation room, in the Auror pit, an alarm started blaring. Shortly after, the door rattled as Scrimgeour tried to enter. He shouted for his superior, but no one answered.

"Listen," said Barty, releasing his father from the curse. "They're calling for you. Let's make them hear you through these thick walls. _CRUCIO_!"

Failing to open the door using the Unlocking Charm, Scrimgeour resorted to a wall shattering Exploding Charm, which seemed do do little against the magically reinforced room.

"Dawlish! Savage! Proudfoot! Robards!" he called for his colleagues. "Help me open this door! NOW"

"Ah, they must be getting desperate," said Barty, with a chuckle, noticing their seemingly futile attempts to break in.

His father was in a very sorry, nearly catatonic state. His eyes were rolled back and blood and spit were dripping from the corner of his mouth.

"You were right about one thing, Father, we certainly don't have the time I wish we had." He finished the glass of Emberwhiskey. "Well, time for me to leave. But before that, allow me to bestow upon you one final gift, that of mercy. You wouldn't want them to see you like this, now would you?" he asked. "Goodbye, Father. _Avada Kedavra_!" he whispered just as the door and walls of the interrogation room crumbled.

Before any of the Aurors' stunning spells, he Disapparated in a swirl of smoke, with a booming pop.

"What the blazes just happened?" roared Scrimgeour. "Savage, Robard, get the Healers in here!"

"It's no use, Sir…" said Proudfoot. "Minister Crouch was hit with the Killing Curse."

"How the hell could the prisoner escape? Wasn't this place warded against such attempts?"

"It would seem he used an empowered version of Disapparition just as the suppression wards weakened when the wall fell."

"Get everyone out to find this bastard. I'll need to find a way to inform the Wizengamot and the rest of the public," the old Auror said, in an exasperated voice. "This is going to be a nightmare," he added as he rushed out.

 **November 4th**

 _ **Sirius Black**_

Normally, anger at the news and frustration with his friend for not calling him would have made the veins in his temples bulge. The Prophet's front page brought the news he'd been dreading, but he was too tired to even care properly. He poured another cup of coffee, the first having shattered against the kitchen floor earlier, when an elf bearing the Longbottom coat of arms popped into his house, bringing a note signed by Augusta.

"Bella, you crazy broad…" he said to himself as he read the note for a third time. "You went against Madam Longbottom. Did it not cross your tiny little mind that going wand to wand with the widow of the most decorated Auror, a woman he himself feared to anger, might not be a good idea?" he mused as he made his way back to his living room and his comfortable armchair. Which had been occupied by Lily's cat.

"Do you mind?" he growled at the cat.

"Mrrreow!" it replied with its eyes closed.

"Know what, you have a perfectly good pillow on the floor and a full milk saucer in the kitchen."

"Mrrrreeeow!" it refused its host's offer and proceeded to purr.

"Lily is going to kill me if anything happened to you while you're in my care. But, she doesn't know you are alive, does she?"

The cat continued purring, ignoring him, then rolled over and continued its kitty nap.

"Would you kindly relocate your fluffy tail before I move it for you."

The cat whipped its tail at him, making him lose the shred of temper he usually had in the mornings without coffee

"You asked for it, cat."

Setting the cup and the newspaper on the table next to the armchair, he scooped his furry guest up, gently set it on the couch, claimed his comfortable seat and finally got to enjoy the piping hot beverage. Just as he was about to start reading the Prophet, the cat jumped into his lap and started kneading his leg, all the while digging its claws into its host's flesh.

"Can't wait for Lily to take you back, you purring annoyance. She wouldn't allow you to pull that kind of stunt with her."

Begrudgingly, Sirius let the beast continue torturing him and engaged in his morning caffeination ritual, taking a careful sip and opening the newspaper to read the report about the Longbottom attack.

He was not even halfway through the third paragraph when the doorbell rang. Unable to stand from his chair, due to his lap currently being held hostage by a purring ball of doom, he cast a quick charm on the cracked mirror on the wall. The image shifted to the fragment he had carefully hidden in a dark corner just outside his front door, showing his bedraggled and weary lycanthrope friend.

"Come in, the door's open," his visitor heard him say through the hound's head shaped door knocker's mouth. "I am sorry I couldn't come to the door myself," he shouted from the living room, "join me in here and you'll see why." Remus could barely contain his smile when he entered the room and noticing his friend's cringing smile.

"How can I argue with that? The fluff ball seems to have made itself feel right at home."

"You're having a laugh, aren't you? Now, if you could wipe that smirk off your face, would you mind telling me what the bloody hell happened last night, Moony? How could Frank get tortured with you, his mother and his wife watching his back?"

Running a bandaged hand through his prematurely greying hair, Remus threw himself on the couch.

"Well… long story short, they employed the tried and true tactic of divide and conquer." Remus gave off a huge yawned

"Here, you seem to need this," said Sirius. With a flick of his wand, he summoned another cup of coffee from the kitchen for his friend.

"Oh, thanks, mate, you're a lifesaver." Remus took a few gulps and gave a satisfied sigh.

"Now, tell me everything, and I mean Everything."

"I met up with Mrs Longbottom outside their domain. After passing her scrutiny, she transported us to the house, where we did as you said - we laid as many traps as time allowed, which were not as many as I would have liked, and, to my shame, not my best work under the pressure. I barely got to say hello to Frank and Alice, when the silent alarm outside was tripped. In an instant Alice and Neville got transported away by the house elves. Mrs Longbottom ran downstairs and I followed her.

"Somehow, your psychotic cousin and the Lestrange brothers managed to break through the wards and the traps before we even got to take off our coats. We instantly laid into them, but they turtled down pretty fast. Rabastan and Rodolphus raised shields as that hellhound you call cousin returned fire. Mrs Longbottom return in kind. Never seen blasting curses making shield spells flicker like that like that. I had to dodge flying furniture that came out of nowhere when I noticed one Barty Crouch the younger."

"Waaaait up, mate. What does the son of the Acting Minister have to do with Bella and her merry band of moronic baboons?"

"He was with them, happily chucking curses at me with incredible ease, trying to lob my head off. He was the one who gave me this," said Remus, holding up his bandaged hand. "He shot a cutting curse that sent my wand flying out of my hand. The pain blinded me for a second, but it seemed long enough for Bella and Junior to make themselves scarce. The Lestrange brothers started pushing Mrs Longbottom back. Without my wand, there was little I could do, so I let Moony out to play." Sirius raised an incredulous eyebrow.

"And how may I ask did you do that without a full moon? That was an entire week ago and you were still recovering from it when James was attacked."

"Well… I'll tell you later. And, after all, a partial transformation is better than being wandless in a fight."

"That makes sense," Sirius nodded, "Great, now I have to be careful about you losing control pretty much the entirety of the month."

"A partial transformation doesn't make me go feral. As long as I don't transform the snout, I am good. Apparently, the olfactive sensory overload is what drives a werewolf feral."

"Fine, fine. Care to continue telling me what happened?"

"Mrs Longbottom was shooting a rainbow flurry of curses at the two, but she was still outnumbered and would have been outmatched if I didn't move my ass. I have to admit, pain can drive us feral as well. I caught Rabastan by the wand arm. I intended to crush it, enough for him to stop his wand work. How… ever…," Remus smiled as he paused for dramatic effect, "I might have been a bit too eager to do so, because I may or may not have ripped his entire arm out."

"You did… what?!" Sirius was gobsmacked.

"Yes… and I also may or may not have beat Rodolphus with it." Sirius was looking at his friend like said man had grown a second head. "What? Mrs Longbottom didn't seem to mind. Moreover, she appreciated the brief respite. She threw a clotting charm at Rabastan at some point, allowing me to focus on your cousin's husband."

"The Prophet forgot to mention that part."

"Fun-ny. Regardless, it was less than a minute when we had them both beat and tied up with an empowered Incarcerous spell. When we were done, I turned back to my little old self, retrieved my wand and administered what little first aid I could to those two. Couldn't let them die just yet, they had an appointment with the Aurors. Mrs Longbottom, however, didn't stick around. As soon as those two fell, she darted upstairs. I could hear the battle all the way down the main hall. As soon as I felt that the two dung eaters were stable enough, I ran upstairs, but the old lady had already taken care of things. She told me what had happened as we tied up Bella and Junior."

"Care to fill me in?"

"To my surprise, I learned that Barty had been the one that kept Frank under the Cruciatus curse, while your cousin was busy cackling like a hyena at our friend's suffering. She managed to knock them both out, but it did take a toll on her. She was pretty much spent and could barely hold the wand, let alone cast anything. I did my best to alleviate Frank's pain, with a pain relief potion I still had with me after my monthly… party."

With a sigh, Sirius shooed the cat from his lap, got up and made his way to the drinks cabinet. He pulled an almost empty bottle of gin and poured two glasses. After handing one to Remus.

"I do have to ask," he said, he drained his glass in a single gulp, "what did the Aurors have to say about you beating an upstanding pureblood member of an Ancient family with his own brother's severed arm?" He sat back down in the chair. The cat jumped back on his lap.

"Well, after we tied everyone down and administered the proper first aid, Mrs Longbottom had an elf clean me of any blood splatter and get me a new set of clothes, as mine got pretty torn, even with my partial transformation. Then she claimed she'll be taking care of everything, as, for better or for worse, the potion I gave Frank prevented him from suffering any long lasting nerve damage. She only bade me to remain silent, as the Aurors came in, to which she told a highly convoluted cock and bull story about the Lestranges having been caught in the crossfire of their own Dark curses. I supposedly only arrived after she incapacitated them all and only assisted with the emergency first aid."

"Got to hand it to the old battleaxe, she spun quite a yarn. Of course, given the prestige of House Longbottom, no one has the balls to question her account of the events," said Sirius as he stroked the cat, who'd been purring in his lap. "Now, if you don't mind, I really want to know. Where in the name of the Morrigan have you learn to harness your inner beast like that?"

"Remember when Dumbledore asked me to infiltrate Greyback's pack? Trying to convince them to join our cause was not the only thing I did. I wanted to better control my senses and strength. You see, a regular werewolf can transform only when the Moon is full, however Greyback could transform even with a new Moon. I also remember seeing him shrugging off multiple Stunners on quite a few occasions, and lengthening his nails into razor-sharp claws. I wanted to learn to do that, how to use the Moon cycle to my benefit and I have, by watching that walking bag of fleas. It's quite the advantage, you know."

"Oh, most definitely…" Sirius looked at the grandfather clock hanging on the wall. "Now, on a totally unrelated topic, we should probably tell Lils what happened. I am sure she will want to know more than what's in the newspaper."

"So you know where she is? Is Harry with her?"

"Where else would he be?" Sirius replied, rolling his eyes. "With his magic hating Muggle aunt and her family, like our dear Headmaster wanted?" Remus' face lost all traces of mirth.

"Wait… WHAT? Why would that even be an option?"

"Because, for some reason, Dumbledore believed Lily had died alongside James. Without waiting to confirm it or to go through the regular process in such cases, he sent Hagrid to take MY godson to the muggles, just because he believed it to be the best course of action. AS IF!"

"Regardless, you do know where they are, correct?"

"With her friend Evelyn Greengrass. She was Lily's best idea at the time. And I don't blame her. The Greengrasses haven't been active in the war against You-Know-Who all that much, so they would be off the Death Munchers' radar."

"The proper thing would be to send an owl announcing our intention to visit them. It just would not do to just walk up to the gate unannounced."

"Who knows Moony. If we don't, we might the nasty side of a very angry House Elf."

-Section Break-

An hour and a few chicken wings later, a somewhat reluctant House Elf appeared in Sirus' living room with a piece of parchment that had the seal of the Greengrass house.

"Message for Mr Sirius Black."

A startled Sirius took it with a trembling hand and read it aloud.

 _Lily is unavailable until after noon. You may come here at any time after 2 o'clock. Call for Minnie to bring you here._

"Elf, are you Minnie?" Remus asked. The elf nodded.

"We'll call on you soon to take us to your mistress," said Sirius as he folded up the parchment

"Yes Sir. If Mistress Lily allows Minnie, Minnie will bring you."

-Section Break-

 _ **A couple of hours later, back at Greengrass Manor, with Lily**_

"...and this is what we know happened while you were away Lily."

"Now that my business is over Sirius, it's time we have a little talk with Peter."

 **A.N: Cliffie, I know. Who and how Dung-for-brains got the location and why go to Bella and co is going to remain an unsolved mystery(yes, we are that lazy). But rest assured, Dung is NOT going to see 1982. I found his character in cannon bland and his personality idiotic. Peter will be dealt the same fate. Can** **'t remember who exactly inspired the High Council bit, but it's from a fic called "Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards"(a harry in azkaban story where luna is the only person he remains friendly to), which I have copied to my hard drive, repaired the grammar and re-read when I need a good laugh. The sheer reaming the members give to dumbles and fudgie is awe-inspiring. Now, before I leave ya to your own devices, a small oppinion piece: the idea that a pickpocket doing a year and a serial killer/psychopath like Bellatrix doing life are housed in the same prison and subjected to the same psychic torture because lazy government is the dumbest thing ever. In this fic there will be ONLY irredeemable criminals housed there, and never getting out. Others will go to the regular prison system with magic suppression.**


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